South Africa can be relatively cheap compared to some other countries in Africa. Among African countries, Luanda, the capital of Angola, is the most expensive city for expats. Cost of living in South Africa can be as cost of living is highly dependent on purchasing habit, tastes and highly dependent on your country of origin.
If you have a big appetite for luxury products, then your cost of living can be way up on the roof. One of the best ways to decide what your cost of living might be is to check the prices online against your normal budget at the major grocery stores like Woolworths, Pick n’ Pay or Checkers which have stores across South Africa and see what difference it could make.
It may also interest you to know that in South Africa, Johannesburg and Cape Town (the most pleasant and lively places in South Africa) have comparatively lower costs of living compared to most other developed and busy cities in Africa and the world. It’s a common fact that if you’re from a country whose currency has higher purchasing power, you’ll feel like the cost of living is cheaper.
Last cost of living in South Africa
Based on the latest Numbeo.com survey, the table below shows the average cost of living in South Africa
| restaurants | mean |
offer
|
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | R110.00 |
80.00
to
150.00
|
| Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant, three-course | R450.00 |
320.00
to
600.00
|
| Combo meal at McDonalds or similar | R55.00 |
48.00
to
70.00
|
| House beer (0.5 liter keg) | R55.00 |
18.00
to
35.00
|
| Imported beer (0.33 liter bottle) | R30.00 |
24.00
to
45.00
|
| Cappuccino (regular) | 23.84R |
8:00 pm
to
30.00
|
| Cola / Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) | 12.05 R |
9.00
to
17.00
|
| Water (0.33 liter bottle) | 9.44R |
7:00
to
15.00
|
| markets | mean | offer |
| Milk (regular), 1 liter | 13.49R |
11.00
to
8:00 pm
|
| Loaf of fresh white bread (500 g) | 12.55r |
9.00
to
15.00
|
| Rice (white) (1 kg) | 19.76R |
12.00
to
28.00
|
| eggs (12) | 23.80 R |
17.20
to
35.00
|
| Local cheese (1 kg) | 91.23 R |
69.00
to
110.00
|
|
Chicken breast (boneless, skinless), (1 kg)
Beef round (1kg) (or equivalent rear leg red meat) |
64.45r
84.13 R |
45.00
to
85.95
to
|
|
Apples (1kg)
Banana (1kg) |
20.47R
16.81R |
15.00
to
28.00
12.00
to
25.00
|
| Oranges (1kg) | 20.57R |
12.00
to
30.00
|
| Tomato (1 kg) | 18.20r |
13.00
to
28.00
|
| Potato (1kg) | 16.54R |
10.00
to
30.00
|
| Salad (1 piece) | 13.46R |
10.00
to
19.00
|
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 14.54R |
10.00
to
8:00 pm
|
| Bottle of wine (mid-range) | R55.00 |
40.00
to
75.00
|
| House beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 17.57R |
12.00
to
30.00
|
| Imported beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 26.61R |
17.00
to
45.00
|
| Pack of cigarettes (Marlboro) | R40.00 |
35.00
to
45.00
|
| transport | mean | offer |
| One-way ticket (local transport) | 15.00 R |
10.00
to
25.00
|
| Monthly ticket (regular price) | R500.00 |
300.00
to
800.00
|
| Taxi start (normal tariff) | 20.00 R |
10.00
to
35.00
|
| Taxi 1 km (normal tariff) | 10.00 R |
8.00
to
14.00
|
| 1-hour wait by taxi (normal fare) | R50.00 |
40.00
to
100.00
|
| Gasoline (1 liter) | 13.46R |
12.75
to
14.00
|
|
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (or equivalent new car)
Toyota Corolla 1.6l 97kW Comfort (or equivalent new car) |
262,500.00 R
269,820.75 R |
180,000.00
to
310,000.00
to
|
| Utilities (monthly) | mean | offer |
| Basic (electricity, heating, water, garbage) for 85 m2 apartment | 1,063.44R |
to
|
| 1 minute. by Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (no discounts or plans) | 1.73R |
1.00
to
3.00
|
| Internet (60 Mbit/s or more, unlimited data, cable / ADSL) | 813.14 R |
500.00
to
1200.00
|
| sport and freetime | mean | offer |
| Fitness club, monthly fee for 1 adult | 450.61R |
250.00
to
700.00
|
| Tennis court rental (1 hour on weekends) | 93.39R |
50.00
to
200.00
|
| Cinema, International release, 1 place | R72.00 |
60.00
to
90.00
|
| clothes and shoes | mean | offer |
| 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | 692.26r |
499.00
to
900.00
|
| 1 summer dress in a chain store (Zara, H&M,…) | R455.00 |
300.00
to
700.00
|
| 1 pair of Nike running shoes (mid-range) | 1,096.51R |
800.00
to
1,500.00
|
| 1 pair of men’s business leather shoes | 1,079.24R |
600.00
to
1,800.00
|
| monthly rent | mean | offer |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in the city center | 5,805.76R |
3,500.00
to
10,000.00
|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) outside the center | 4,764.94R |
3,000.00
to
7,000.00
|
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in the city center | 11,208.83R |
6,500.00
to
20,000.00
|
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside the center | R9,663.70 |
6,000.00
to
15,000.00
|
| purchase price of the apartment | mean | offer |
| Price per square meter to buy apartment in the city center | 12,270.92R |
6,000.00
to
25,000.40
|
| Price per square meter to buy apartment outside the center | 10,369.35R |
7,000.00
18,000.00
|
| salaries and funding | mean | offer |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 16,479.11 R |
10,000.00
to
20,000.00
|
| Mortgage interest rate in percent (%), annual, fixed rate for 20 years | 10.52 |
9.50
to
12.00
|
| childcare | mean | offer |
| Preschool (or kindergarten), private, monthly for 1 child | 2,645.37R |
to
|
| International primary school, yearly for 1 child | 57,423.74R |
to
|
This data is based on 13847 entries over the past 18 months from 1245 different contributors. Note that there are many factors that affect the cost of living. Therefore, these numbers do not have to stay the same over time.