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

😐 Solo nomad: Australia is 71.3% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 117.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Australia is 78.3% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 94.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.97 A$24.47
$9.05 R 161
76.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.2 A$118
$38.84 R 691
98.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.66 A$14.8
$4.9 R 87.1
97.14%
Cappuccino
$3.57 A$5.48
$1.98 R 35.28
80.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.64 A$4.04
$0.96 R 17.06
175.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 A$3.41
$0.75 R 13.31
196.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.57 A$10.06
$2.18 R 38.72
201.38%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.98 A$10.7
$2.54 R 45.1
174.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.5 A$2.3
$1.1 R 19.58
36.36%
White Bread (500g)
$2.42 A$3.7
$1.03 R 18.32
134.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.02 A$3.1
$1.56 R 27.71
29.49%
Eggs
$4.38 A$6.71
$2.25 R 39.93
94.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.86 A$13.58
$7.67 R 136
15.51%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.26 A$12.66
$4.62 R 82.2
78.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.14 A$21.66
$6.86 R 122
106.12%
Apples (1kg)
$3.24 A$4.96
$1.58 R 28.02
105.06%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 A$4.11
$1.42 R 25.3
88.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.86 A$4.39
$1.44 R 25.58
98.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.25 A$6.5
$1.49 R 26.5
185.23%
Potato (1kg)
$2.55 A$3.91
$1.25 R 22.16
104.00%
Onion (1kg)
$2.19 A$3.35
$1.34 R 23.81
63.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.24 A$3.43
$1.09 R 19.31
105.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.57 A$2.41
$0.96 R 17.15
63.54%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$31.36 A$48.04
$2.9 R 51.6
981.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.32 A$20.41
$5.07 R 90.3
162.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$4.61 A$7.06
$1.38 R 24.49
234.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.97 A$7.61
$1.68 R 29.79
195.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Australia
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.97 A$4.54
$1.71 R 30.47
73.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98 A$150
$45.01 R 801
117.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.62 A$5.55
$1.1 R 19.61
229.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.82 A$2.79
$1.09 R 19.41
66.97%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$37.78 A$57.9
$4.8 R 85.3
687.08%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.2 A$1.84
$1.31 R 23.23
-8.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.1K A$44.6K
$21K R 374.2K
38.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K A$34.5K
$23.7K R 421.3K
-4.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$180 A$276
$113 R 2,009
59.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$26.23 A$40.19
$33.11 R 589
-20.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.8 A$80.9
$41.49 R 738
27.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.77 A$71.7
$31.69 R 564
47.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.37 A$25.08
$9.45 R 168
73.23%
Cinema Ticket
$13.82 A$21.18
$6.7 R 119
106.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,599 A$2,450
$186 R 3,303
760.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K A$18.8K
$4,336 R 77.1K
183.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$71.7 A$110
$48.56 R 864
47.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.5 A$78.8
$30.74 R 547
67.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 A$155
$92 R 1,636
9.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$110 A$168
$79.6 R 1,415
37.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Australia
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,395 A$2,137
$442 R 7,860
215.57%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,106 A$1,694
$370 R 6,579
198.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,271 A$3,480
$880 R 15.7K
157.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,775 A$2,719
$724 R 12.9K
145.23%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$6,985 A$10.7K
$1,021 R 18.2K
584.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,106 A$7,823
$803 R 14.3K
535.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Australia
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,626 A$5,555
$1,406 R 25K
157.79%
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: October 29, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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