Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and South Africa

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in United States:
City in South Africa:

Indices Difference
Consumer Prices in South Africa are 42.65% lower than in United States (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in South Africa are 49.45% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in South Africa are 62.56% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in South Africa are 47.22% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in South Africa are 51.43% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in South Africa is 27.39% lower than in United States

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	United States Edit	South Africa Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	15.00 $ (230.47 R)	7.81 $ (120.00 R)	-47.93 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	59.00 $ (906.50 R)	35.80 $ (550.00 R)	-39.33 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	8.00 $ (122.91 R)	3.91 $ (60.00 R)	-51.19 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	5.00 $ (76.82 R)	1.95 $ (30.00 R)	-60.95 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	6.00 $ (92.19 R)	2.60 $ (40.00 R)	-56.61 %
Cappuccino (regular)	4.28 $ (65.69 R)	1.81 $ (27.74 R)	-57.78 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	1.90 $ (29.17 R)	0.90 $ (13.89 R)	-52.37 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	1.53 $ (23.57 R)	0.70 $ (10.77 R)	-54.29 %
Markets	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	3.23 $ (49.61 R)	3.77 $ (57.91 R)	+16.72 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	2.46 $ (37.86 R)	0.83 $ (12.73 R)	-66.39 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	1.81 $ (27.86 R)	0.64 $ (9.82 R)	-64.75 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	2.31 $ (35.56 R)	1.93 $ (29.67 R)	-16.57 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.00 $ (76.81 R)	3.18 $ (48.79 R)	-36.48 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	4.13 $ (63.39 R)	2.13 $ (32.65 R)	-48.49 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	5.69 $ (87.49 R)	3.07 $ (47.24 R)	-46.01 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.05 $ (31.57 R)	0.69 $ (10.62 R)	-66.35 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.71 $ (10.89 R)	0.62 $ (9.51 R)	-12.69 %
Oranges (1 lb)	1.81 $ (27.82 R)	0.66 $ (10.15 R)	-63.51 %
Tomato (1 lb)	1.94 $ (29.79 R)	0.61 $ (9.32 R)	-68.72 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.18 $ (18.15 R)	0.55 $ (8.38 R)	-53.81 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.18 $ (18.19 R)	0.51 $ (7.76 R)	-57.31 %
Lettuce (1 head)	1.63 $ (25.05 R)	1.00 $ (15.34 R)	-38.75 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	1.81 $ (27.80 R)	0.95 $ (14.65 R)	-47.29 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	12.00 $ (184.37 R)	4.88 $ (75.00 R)	-59.32 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	2.39 $ (36.66 R)	1.33 $ (20.50 R)	-44.09 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	2.81 $ (43.21 R)	1.82 $ (27.92 R)	-35.38 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	8.00 $ (122.91 R)	2.93 $ (45.00 R)	-63.39 %
Transportation	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.25 $ (34.57 R)	1.30 $ (20.00 R)	-42.15 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	66.00 $ (1,014.05 R)	45.56 $ (700.00 R)	-30.97 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.25 $ (49.93 R)	1.30 $ (20.00 R)	-59.95 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.70 $ (41.48 R)	1.26 $ (19.31 R)	-53.45 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (460.93 R)	4.56 $ (70.00 R)	-84.81 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	2.54 $ (39.08 R)	3.82 $ (58.69 R)	+50.19 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	23,000.00 $ (353,380.28 R)	19,525.71 $ (300,000.00 R)	-15.11 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	21,536.71 $ (330,897.73 R)	20,286.94 $ (311,695.79 R)	-5.80 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	163.70 $ (2,515.22 R)	94.01 $ (1,444.33 R)	-42.58 %
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)	0.14 $ (2.12 R)	0.11 $ (1.73 R)	-18.30 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	65.53 $ (1,006.88 R)	58.62 $ (900.58 R)	-10.56 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	37.02 $ (568.80 R)	29.89 $ (459.28 R)	-19.25 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	15.94 $ (244.91 R)	8.15 $ (125.27 R)	-48.85 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	12.00 $ (184.37 R)	5.86 $ (90.00 R)	-51.19 %
Childcare	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	936.11 $ (14,382.70 R)	190.48 $ (2,926.56 R)	-79.65 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	15,846.00 $ (243,463.68 R)	4,422.32 $ (67,946.19 R)	-72.09 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	43.82 $ (673.28 R)	48.15 $ (739.84 R)	+9.89 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	35.52 $ (545.80 R)	31.10 $ (477.76 R)	-12.47 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	75.86 $ (1,165.54 R)	80.73 $ (1,240.29 R)	+6.41 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	95.64 $ (1,469.42 R)	79.22 $ (1,217.21 R)	-17.16 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,340.83 $ (20,601.00 R)	434.64 $ (6,678.00 R)	-67.58 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,080.72 $ (16,604.59 R)	370.27 $ (5,688.99 R)	-65.74 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,154.66 $ (33,105.01 R)	832.11 $ (12,784.82 R)	-61.38 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	1,724.70 $ (26,498.97 R)	710.82 $ (10,921.26 R)	-58.79 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	330.29 $ (5,074.74 R)	109.01 $ (1,674.91 R)	-67.00 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	197.49 $ (3,034.30 R)	74.11 $ (1,138.58 R)	-62.48 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	3,528.12 $ (54,207.35 R)	1,294.90 $ (19,895.37 R)	-63.30 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	4.12	9.97	+142.10 %
Last update:	March 2021	March 2021
Contributors in the past 12 months:	10919	888

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