South Africa can be relatively on the cheap side when compared with some other countries in Africa. Among African countries, Luanda which is the capital of Angola is the most expensive city for expats to live in. It is quite difficult to determine what the cost of living in South Africa can be as living costs largely depend on an individual’s spending habit, taste and to a great extent, where you are coming from.
If you have a large appetite for luxury products then your living costs can be way up the roof. One of the best ways to decide what your living cost could be is to check through the major grocery stores like Woolworths, Pick n’ Pay or Checkers which have stores across South Africa, compare their prices online with what your budget is on a normal basis and see what difference it might make.
It may also interest you to know that in South Africa, both Johannesburg and Cape Town (the most pleasant and lively places in South Africa) have a comparatively lower cost of living with respect to most other developed and busy cities across Africa and the world. It is a general thing that if you are coming from a country whose currency has a higher purchasing power, you would have a sense of the cheaper cost of living.
Latest Cost of Living in South Africa
Based on Numbeo.com’s latest survey, the following represents the average range of cost of living in South Africa
| Restaurants | mean |
Range
|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 110.00 R |
80.00
to
150.00
|
| Meal for 2, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 450.00 R |
320.00
to
600.00
|
| Combo Meal at McDonalds or Similar | 55.00 R |
48.00
to
70.00
|
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught) | 55.00 R |
18.00
to
35.00
|
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 30.00 R |
24.00
to
45.00
|
| Cappuccino (regular) | 23.84 R |
20.00
to
30.00
|
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle) | 12.05 R |
9.00
to
17.00
|
| Water (0.33 litre bottle) | 9.44 R |
7.00
to
15.00
|
| Markets | mean | Range |
| Milk (regular), 1 liter | 13.49 R |
11.00
to
20.00
|
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500 g) | 12.55 R |
9.00
to
15.00
|
| Rice (white), (1 kg) | 19.76 R |
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 Breasts (Boneless, Skinless), (1 kg)
Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
64.45 R
84.13 R |
45.00
to
85.95
to
|
| Apples (1 kg)
Banana (1kg) |
20.47 R
16.81 R |
15.00
to
28.00
12.00
to
25.00
|
| Oranges (1 kg) | 20.57 R |
12.00
to
30.00
|
| Tomato (1kg) | 18.20 R |
13.00
to
28.00
|
| Potato (1kg) | 16.54 R |
10.00
to
30.00
|
| Lettuce (1 head) | 13.46 R |
10.00
to
19.00
|
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 14.54 R |
10.00
to
20.00
|
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 55.00 R |
40.00
to
75.00
|
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 17.57 R |
12.00
to
30.00
|
| Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle) | 26.61 R |
17.00
to
45.00
|
| Pack of Cigarettes (Marlboro) | 40.00 R |
35.00
to
45.00
|
| Transportation | mean | Range |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 15.00 R |
10.00
to
25.00
|
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 500.00 R |
300.00
to
800.00
|
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 20.00 R |
10.00
to
35.00
|
| Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) | 10.00 R |
8.00
to
14.00
|
| Taxi 1-hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 50.00 R |
40.00
to
100.00
|
| Gasoline (1 litre) | 13.46 R |
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 | Range |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Water, Garbage) for 85 m2 Apartment | 1,063.44 R |
to
|
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) | 1.73 R |
1.00
to
3.00
|
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 813.14 R |
500.00
to
1200.00
|
| Sports And Leisure | mean | Range |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 450.61 R |
250.00
to
700.00
|
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 93.39 R |
50.00
to
200.00
|
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 72.00 R |
60.00
to
90.00
|
| Clothing And Shoes | mean | Range |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 692.26 R |
499.00
to
900.00
|
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, …) | 455.00 R |
300.00
to
700.00
|
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 1,096.51 R |
800.00
to
1,500.00
|
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 1,079.24 R |
600.00
to
1,800.00
|
| Rent Per Month | mean | Range |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 5,805.76 R |
3,500.00
to
10,000.00
|
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 4,764.94 R |
3,000.00
to
7,000.00
|
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 11,208.83 R |
6,500.00
to
20,000.00
|
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 9,663.70 R |
6,000.00
to
15,000.00
|
| Buy Apartment Price | mean | Range |
| Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 12,270.92 R |
6,000.00
to
25,000.40
|
| Price per Square Meter to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 10,369.35 R |
7,000.00
18,000.00
|
| Salaries And Financing | mean | Range |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 16,479.11 R |
10,000.00
to
20,000.00
|
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 10.52 |
9.50
to
12.00
|
| Childcare | mean | Range |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 2,645.37 R |
to
|
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 57,423.74 R |
to
|
These data are based on 13847 entries in the past 18 months from 1245 different contributors. Note that there are a lot of factors that affect the cost of living, therefore, these figures are not bound to remain the same over time.
Source: Numbeo.com survey