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
Cost of Living in South Africa is 51.4% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in South Africa is 58.1% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in South Africa are 71.7% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in South Africa are 55.5% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in South Africa are 59.7% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in South Africa is 27.5% lower than in United States

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	United States Edit	South Africa Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	20.00 $ (360.86 R)	8.87 $ (160.00 R)	-55.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	75.00 $ (1,353.22 R)	38.80 $ (700.00 R)	-48.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.50 $ (207.40 R)	4.99 $ (90.00 R)	-56.6 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	6.00 $ (108.26 R)	2.22 $ (40.00 R)	-63.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.00 $ (126.30 R)	2.49 $ (45.00 R)	-64.4 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.24 $ (94.63 R)	1.99 $ (35.88 R)	-62.1 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.57 $ (46.30 R)	0.98 $ (17.62 R)	-62.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.09 $ (37.68 R)	0.77 $ (13.82 R)	-63.3 %
Markets	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.01 $ (72.40 R)	4.10 $ (73.89 R)	+2.1 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.30 $ (59.59 R)	0.89 $ (16.03 R)	-73.1 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2.10 $ (37.83 R)	0.71 $ (12.88 R)	-66.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.32 $ (77.90 R)	2.26 $ (40.83 R)	-47.6 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.85 $ (105.58 R)	3.46 $ (62.44 R)	-40.9 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.55 $ (100.07 R)	2.07 $ (37.34 R)	-62.7 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.41 $ (133.65 R)	3.03 $ (54.75 R)	-59.0 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.40 $ (43.21 R)	0.69 $ (12.50 R)	-71.1 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.76 $ (13.77 R)	0.65 $ (11.68 R)	-15.2 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 $ (36.82 R)	0.66 $ (11.99 R)	-67.4 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.23 $ (40.26 R)	0.68 $ (12.35 R)	-69.3 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.33 $ (24.05 R)	0.55 $ (9.98 R)	-58.5 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.40 $ (25.19 R)	0.59 $ (10.59 R)	-57.9 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.21 $ (39.79 R)	1.05 $ (18.96 R)	-52.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.23 $ (40.32 R)	0.94 $ (17.03 R)	-57.8 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	15.00 $ (270.64 R)	4.71 $ (85.00 R)	-68.6 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.96 $ (35.41 R)	1.33 $ (24.04 R)	-32.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.61 $ (65.06 R)	1.68 $ (30.30 R)	-53.4 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	10.00 $ (180.43 R)	2.88 $ (52.00 R)	-71.2 %
Transportation	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (45.11 R)	1.66 $ (30.00 R)	-33.5 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	65.00 $ (1,172.79 R)	44.34 $ (800.00 R)	-31.8 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.75 $ (67.66 R)	1.11 $ (20.00 R)	-70.4 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.80 $ (50.52 R)	1.69 $ (30.58 R)	-39.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (541.29 R)	4.71 $ (85.00 R)	-84.3 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.49 $ (62.91 R)	4.77 $ (86.06 R)	+36.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	30,000.00 $ (541,287.00 R)	20,506.68 $ (370,000.00 R)	-31.6 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,987.96 $ (468,898.10 R)	23,549.68 $ (424,904.54 R)	-9.4 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	208.25 $ (3,757.49 R)	110.81 $ (1,999.30 R)	-46.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	57.39 $ (1,035.45 R)	32.13 $ (579.71 R)	-44.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71.83 $ (1,296.05 R)	40.74 $ (735.02 R)	-43.3 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	45.81 $ (826.56 R)	31.23 $ (563.40 R)	-31.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.85 $ (394.30 R)	9.44 $ (170.30 R)	-56.8 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14.00 $ (252.60 R)	6.65 $ (120.00 R)	-52.5 %
Childcare	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,374.65 $ (24,802.67 R)	187.20 $ (3,377.68 R)	-86.4 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	22,609.18 $ (407,935.20 R)	4,336.65 $ (78,245.77 R)	-80.8 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	52.26 $ (942.87 R)	48.66 $ (877.98 R)	-6.9 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	42.56 $ (767.87 R)	30.40 $ (548.42 R)	-28.6 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	89.96 $ (1,623.19 R)	92.20 $ (1,663.49 R)	+2.5 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	113.56 $ (2,049.01 R)	79.14 $ (1,427.91 R)	-30.3 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,734.71 $ (31,299.20 R)	439.82 $ (7,935.59 R)	-74.6 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,435.53 $ (25,901.14 R)	363.83 $ (6,564.55 R)	-74.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,876.82 $ (51,906.23 R)	883.64 $ (15,943.38 R)	-69.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,392.12 $ (43,160.78 R)	702.98 $ (12,683.71 R)	-70.6 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	298.94 $ (5,393.71 R)	92.68 $ (1,672.22 R)	-69.0 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	251.44 $ (4,536.66 R)	70.83 $ (1,277.96 R)	-71.8 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	South Africa Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,320.93 $ (77,962.11 R)	1,314.03 $ (23,708.92 R)	-69.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.51	11.55	+77.5 %
Last update:	18 June 2025	18 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	11378	716

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