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

🙂 Solo nomad: India is 51.5% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 58.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: India is 52.6% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 56.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
India
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.49 ₹213
$9.05 R 161
-72.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.06 ₹1,202
$38.84 R 691
-63.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.1 ₹351
$4.9 R 87.1
-16.33%
Cappuccino
$1.82 ₹156
$1.98 R 35.28
-8.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 ₹37.72
$0.96 R 17.06
-54.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 ₹14.36
$0.75 R 13.31
-77.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.94 ₹166
$2.18 R 38.72
-11.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.53 ₹302
$2.54 R 45.1
38.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
India
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.73 ₹62.1
$1.1 R 19.58
-33.64%
White Bread (500g)
$0.48 ₹41.19
$1.03 R 18.32
-53.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.72 ₹61.4
$1.56 R 27.71
-53.85%
Eggs
$0.94 ₹80.1
$2.25 R 39.93
-58.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.23 ₹448
$7.67 R 136
-31.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.14 ₹269
$4.62 R 82.2
-32.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$6.86 R 122
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.2 ₹188
$1.58 R 28.02
39.24%
Banana (1kg)
$0.72 ₹61.2
$1.42 R 25.3
-49.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.09 ₹93.2
$1.44 R 25.58
-24.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.57 ₹49.11
$1.49 R 26.5
-61.74%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 ₹36.21
$1.25 R 22.16
-66.40%
Onion (1kg)
$0.45 ₹38.73
$1.34 R 23.81
-66.42%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.55 ₹46.97
$1.09 R 19.31
-49.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.33 ₹27.96
$0.96 R 17.15
-65.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.08 ₹349
$2.9 R 51.6
40.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.99 ₹683
$5.07 R 90.3
57.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.92 ₹164
$1.38 R 24.49
39.13%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 ₹248
$1.68 R 29.79
72.02%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$5.92 ₹506
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
India
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.34 ₹28.83
$1.71 R 30.47
-80.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.01 ₹856
$45.01 R 801
-77.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.97 ₹83
$1.1 R 19.61
-11.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.28 ₹23.62
$1.09 R 19.41
-74.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.77 ₹151
$4.8 R 85.3
-63.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ₹106
$1.31 R 23.23
-5.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$14K ₹1.2M
$21K R 374.2K
-33.34%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.2K ₹1.9M
$23.7K R 421.3K
-6.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$40.79 ₹3,489
$113 R 2,009
-63.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.79 ₹324
$33.11 R 589
-88.55%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$8.13 ₹695
$41.49 R 738
-80.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
India
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$16 ₹1,368
$31.69 R 564
-49.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.59 ₹649
$9.45 R 168
-19.68%
Cinema Ticket
$3.45 ₹295
$6.7 R 119
-48.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
India
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$69.7 ₹5,958
$186 R 3,303
-62.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,847 ₹158K
$4,336 R 77.1K
-57.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
India
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$25.29 ₹2,163
$48.56 R 864
-47.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.99 ₹2,309
$30.74 R 547
-12.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$44.67 ₹3,821
$92 R 1,636
-51.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$33.23 ₹2,842
$79.6 R 1,415
-58.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
India
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$179 ₹15.3K
$442 R 7,860
-59.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$114 ₹9,770
$370 R 6,579
-69.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$414 ₹35.4K
$880 R 15.7K
-52.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$260 ₹22.2K
$724 R 12.9K
-64.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,499 ₹128.2K
$1,021 R 18.2K
46.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$830 ₹71K
$803 R 14.3K
3.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
India
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$500 ₹42.8K
$1,406 R 25K
-64.42%
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: October 29, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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