Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and South Africa

😐 Solo nomad: Australia is 76.8% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 117.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Australia is 75.8% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 95.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.40 A$23.12
$8.70 R 140
88.51%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.2 A$110
$38.91 R 626
100.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.52 A$13.43
$5.17 R 83.3
84.14%
Cappuccino
$3.57 A$5.03
$2.05 R 33.04
74.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 A$3.59
$1.02 R 16.48
150.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.21 A$3.12
$0.76 R 12.22
190.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.41 A$9.04
$2.26 R 36.34
183.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.22 A$10.17
$2.53 R 40.80
185.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 A$2.20
$1.10 R 17.78
41.82%
White Bread (500g)
$2.48 A$3.50
$0.94 R 15.15
163.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.00 A$2.82
$1.62 R 26.14
23.46%
Eggs
$4.28 A$6.03
$2.22 R 35.77
92.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.60 A$12.13
$7.52 R 121
14.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.56 A$12.07
$4.48 R 72.1
91.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.71 A$19.33
$6.61 R 106
107.41%
Apples (1kg)
$3.22 A$4.55
$1.50 R 24.17
114.67%
Banana (1kg)
$2.72 A$3.84
$1.42 R 22.87
91.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.94 A$4.15
$1.46 R 23.52
101.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.28 A$6.04
$1.51 R 24.33
183.44%
Potato (1kg)
$2.51 A$3.53
$1.26 R 20.22
99.21%
Onion (1kg)
$2.11 A$2.97
$1.29 R 20.85
63.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.21 A$3.12
$1.03 R 16.56
114.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.53 A$2.16
$0.97 R 15.56
57.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$31.35 A$44.21
$2.87 R 46.21
992.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.09 A$19.86
$4.90 R 78.9
187.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.43 A$6.24
$1.31 R 21.15
238.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.07 A$7.15
$1.73 R 27.93
193.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Australia
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.90 A$4.09
$1.65 R 26.54
75.76%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$97.6 A$138
$44.20 R 712
120.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.55 A$5.01
$1.14 R 18.35
211.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 A$2.60
$1.09 R 17.56
68.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$37.44 A$52.8
$4.70 R 75.8
696.60%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 A$1.62
$1.30 R 20.86
-11.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.2K A$41.2K
$20.8K R 334.8K
40.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.0K A$32.4K
$23.5K R 378.5K
-2.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 A$254
$111 R 1,793
61.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.91 A$36.53
$32.36 R 521
-19.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.5 A$74.0
$40.49 R 652
29.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.04 A$67.7
$31.96 R 515
50.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.66 A$23.49
$9.72 R 156
71.40%
Cinema Ticket
$13.87 A$19.56
$6.80 R 109
103.97%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,559 A$2,199
$189 R 3,035
727.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.5K A$17.6K
$4,400 R 70.8K
184.44%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.2 A$99.0
$50.2 R 807
39.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.4 A$72.5
$30.53 R 492
68.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 A$142
$94.5 R 1,522
6.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 A$158
$81.3 R 1,309
37.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Australia
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,361 A$1,919
$453 R 7,289
200.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,083 A$1,527
$372 R 5,991
191.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,332 A$3,287
$906 R 14.6K
157.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,718 A$2,422
$703 R 11.3K
144.38%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,612 A$10.7K
$1,150 R 18.5K
561.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,588 A$7,879
$836 R 13.5K
568.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,928 A$5,539
$1,471 R 23.7K
166.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.35
11.55
-45.02%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Australia: March 3, 2026

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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