Cost of living in South Africa

Summary of cost of living in South Africa

  • Family of four estimated monthly costs: R 46,105
  • Single person estimated monthly costs: R 21,784
  • Cost of living in South Africa is cheaper than in 74% of countries in the World (52 out of 70)
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Food
Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district R 134
Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) R 81
500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast R 44
1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk R 19
12 eggs, large R 41
1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes R 26
500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese R 74
1 kg (2 lb.) of apples R 29
1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes R 25
0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket R 25
1 bottle of red table wine, good quality R 107
2 liters of coca-cola R 24
Bread for 2 people for 1 day R 17
Housing
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area R 16,056
Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area R 11,480
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat R 2,007
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area R 8,876
Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area R 6,725
Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio R 1,289
Internet 8 mbps (1 month) R 592
40” flat screen tv R 5,531
Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) R 1,982
Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) R 131
Hourly rate for cleaning help R 71
Clothes
1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) R 840
1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) R 621
1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) R 1,656
1 pair of men’s leather business shoes R 1,371
Transportation
Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new R 406,338
1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas R 23
Monthly ticket public transport R 1,062
Personal Care
Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) R 64
1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) R 245
Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) R 592
1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) R 44
Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) R 36
Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) R 64
4 rolls of toilet paper R 37
Tube of toothpaste R 27
Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city R 168
Entertainment
Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub R 438
2 tickets to the movies R 235
2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) R 745
Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert R 719
1 cocktail drink in downtown club R 70
Cappuccino in expat area of the city R 36
1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) R 33
Ipad wi-fi 128gb R 10,711
1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) R 1.57
1 month of gym membership in business district R 639
1 package of marlboro cigarettes R 49

Moving to South Africa with your children?

International Schools in South Africa

Map of Cost of Living in South Africa

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This map shows only the top cities in South Africa. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan

The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.

What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Cost of Living Ranking in South Africa

(top cities by data quality)

Ranking City Price Index *
1st Johannesburg 77
2nd Cape Town 68
3rd Pretoria 63
4th Vereeniging 54
5th Bloemfontein 50
6th Pietermaritzburg 50
7th Potgietersrus 0
8th Orkney 0

Price Index:

To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.

Are you moving to South Africa? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?

Find out what is the real equivalent in South Africa of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.

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Prices recently added

  • Laundry detergent, 3 liters in Cape Town costs R 150 (about 4 hours ago)
  • 2 liters of coca-cola in Cape Town costs R 25 (about 4 hours ago)
  • 250 g of local cheese in Cape Town costs R 60 (about 4 hours ago)
  • 6 eggs, large in Cape Town costs R 60 (about 4 hours ago)
  • 1 liter of whole fat milk in Cape Town costs R 20 (about 4 hours ago)
  • 500 g of boneless chicken breast in Cape Town costs R 55 (about 4 hours ago)
  • Cappuccino in expat area of the city in Cape Town costs R 45 (about 9 hours ago)
  • 75 ml tube of toothpaste in Cape Town costs R 23 (about 9 hours ago)
  • 4 rolls of toilet paper in Cape Town costs R 46 (about 9 hours ago)
  • 400 ml hair shampoo 2-in-1 in Cape Town costs R 60 (about 9 hours ago)

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