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

🙂 Solo nomad: India is 50.4% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 59.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: India is 52.6% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 56.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
India
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.54 ₹230
$8.84 R 145
-71.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$13.78 ₹1,251
$38.50 R 631
-64.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.14 ₹375
$5.07 R 83.2
-18.34%
Cappuccino
$1.81 ₹164
$2.04 R 33.40
-11.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.41 ₹36.98
$1.04 R 17.02
-60.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹13.69
$0.74 R 12.08
-79.73%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.93 ₹175
$2.31 R 37.83
-16.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 ₹326
$2.47 R 40.57
45.34%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
India
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.73 ₹65.9
$1.07 R 17.55
-31.78%
White Bread (500g)
$0.51 ₹46.62
$1.01 R 16.51
-49.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.72 ₹65.1
$1.57 R 25.79
-54.14%
Eggs
$1.00 ₹90.5
$2.33 R 38.26
-57.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.17 ₹469
$7.68 R 126
-32.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.16 ₹287
$4.47 R 73.4
-29.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$6.60 R 108
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.10 ₹191
$1.56 R 25.55
34.62%
Banana (1kg)
$0.72 ₹65.3
$1.45 R 23.80
-50.34%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.08 ₹98.3
$1.51 R 24.79
-28.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.56 ₹51.1
$1.49 R 24.39
-62.42%
Potato (1kg)
$0.43 ₹38.99
$1.21 R 19.91
-64.46%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 ₹44.46
$1.33 R 21.80
-63.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.50 ₹45.73
$1.08 R 17.70
-53.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₹29.84
$0.94 R 15.34
-64.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 ₹380
$2.85 R 46.74
46.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.00 ₹726
$4.89 R 80.3
63.60%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.89 ₹172
$1.38 R 22.64
36.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.06 ₹278
$1.69 R 27.65
81.07%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$5.61 ₹509
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
India
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 ₹33.33
$1.73 R 28.33
-78.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.71 ₹881
$45.33 R 743
-78.58%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.91 ₹82.8
$1.10 R 18.01
-17.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ₹25.17
$1.10 R 18.03
-74.55%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.73 ₹157
$4.69 R 76.9
-63.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.18 ₹107
$1.30 R 21.32
-9.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$13.9K ₹1.3M
$20.6K R 337.3K
-32.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K ₹2.0M
$24.2K R 396.4K
-8.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.51 ₹3,676
$110 R 1,811
-63.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.89 ₹353
$32.07 R 526
-87.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.79 ₹707
$40.81 R 669
-80.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
India
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16.34 ₹1,482
$31.33 R 514
-47.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.62 ₹691
$9.44 R 155
-19.28%
Cinema Ticket
$3.51 ₹319
$6.90 R 113
-49.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
India
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$68.3 ₹6,194
$187 R 3,074
-63.58%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,829 ₹166.0K
$4,385 R 71.9K
-58.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
India
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.62 ₹2,325
$49.70 R 815
-48.45%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.01 ₹2,451
$31.23 R 512
-13.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.10 ₹4,093
$93.0 R 1,526
-51.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$33.35 ₹3,026
$79.7 R 1,307
-58.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
India
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$179 ₹16.2K
$443 R 7,265
-59.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$113 ₹10.3K
$369 R 6,048
-69.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$406 ₹36.8K
$890 R 14.6K
-54.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$258 ₹23.4K
$724 R 11.9K
-64.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,338 ₹121.4K
$1,125 R 18.5K
18.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$682 ₹61.9K
$823 R 13.5K
-17.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
India
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$462 ₹41.9K
$1,486 R 24.4K
-68.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.02
11.55
-21.90%

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

Last update for India: January 11, 2026

Last update for South Africa: January 12, 2026

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