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

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,782 in Italy versus $1,137 in South Africa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,722 in Italy versus $1,773 in South Africa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,662 in Italy versus $2,408 in South Africa.

Living in Italy is roughly 57% more expensive than in South Africa on average.

Italy (30% above) and South Africa (17% below) straddle the global median.

Italy ($1,169–$2,657) and South Africa ($633–$1,817) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.07 €18.36

$11.22 R 184

87.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 €70.7

$42.86 R 702

89.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.50 €10.02

$5.77 R 94.4

99.31%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.83

$2.41 R 39.51

-12.86%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 €2.67

$1.19 R 19.55

157.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 €1.25

$0.87 R 14.32

65.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.86 €5.11

$2.40 R 39.34

144.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 €4.99

$2.99 R 49.02

91.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.39

$1.25 R 20.47

27.20%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.10

$1.10 R 17.96

119.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.61

$1.77 R 28.93

68.93%

Eggs

$4.34 €3.78

$2.51 R 41.12

72.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.62 €15.36

$8.46 R 139

108.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.69 €11.06

$5.41 R 88.6

134.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.80 €18.13

$7.94 R 130

161.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.28

$1.82 R 29.76

43.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.87

$1.69 R 27.60

26.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.79 €2.43

$1.73 R 28.34

61.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €2.94

$1.77 R 28.99

90.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.78

$1.47 R 24.07

38.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 €1.71

$1.46 R 23.99

34.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.36

$1.25 R 20.55

24.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 €0.46

$1.16 R 18.95

-54.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €5.96

$3.31 R 54.3

106.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.71 €6.72

$4.88 R 79.9

57.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 €1.62

$1.53 R 25.02

21.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 €2.17

$2.05 R 33.53

21.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.67

$1.69 R 27.62

13.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.16 €38.49

$62.8 R 1,028

-29.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.87 €5.12

$1.08 R 17.64

443.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.49

$0.94 R 15.46

80.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.16 €30.65

$7.90 R 129

345.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.84

$1.43 R 23.38

47.55%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.9K €32.2K

$36.6K R 599.6K

0.88%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$36.5K €31.8K

$31.1K R 509.6K

17.17%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$229 €200

$131 R 2,147

75.06%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$12.09 €10.54

$35.38 R 579

-65.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.57 €27.52

$41.24 R 676

-23.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €47.18

$34.46 R 564

57.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.51 €21.37

$11.85 R 194

106.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.40

$7.58 R 124

42.22%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$562 €490

$231 R 3,791

142.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K €10.7K

$5,534 R 90.6K

121.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.3 €82.2

$55.0 R 901

71.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.72 €35.50

$33.73 R 552

20.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €90.7

$100 R 1,643

3.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €119

$91.5 R 1,498

49.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$832 €725

$501 R 8,209

65.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €564

$418 R 6,854

54.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,450 €1,264

$955 R 15.6K

51.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,081 €942

$826 R 13.5K

30.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,816 €3,326

$1,158 R 19.0K

229.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,312 €2,015

$788 R 12.9K

193.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,954 €1,703

$1,542 R 25.3K

26.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

11.24

-68.24%

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

Last update for Italy: September 13, 2026

Last update for South Africa: September 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $748 in Italy, $444 in South Africa. Capital cities: $1,238 in Rome vs $320 in Bloemfontein.

National salary averages: $1,958 in Italy, $1,543 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 68% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 88% more in Italy.

Public transport is 147% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 27% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Italy vs South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,913 per month in Italy and $1,225 in South Africa, there's a 56% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in South Africa: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy is consistently higher than in South Africa across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In South Africa, $2,500 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: South Africa wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.