Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in South Africa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Italy and in South Africa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $1,203 in South Africa.

Italy $1,843
South Africa $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $1,893 in South Africa.

Italy $2,816
South Africa $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $2,583 in South Africa.

Italy $3,788
South Africa $2,583

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $618–$1,556 in South Africa. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 53% more expensive than in South Africa on average.

Italy (35% above) and South Africa (12% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.32

$10.67 R 178

91.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.2

$41.66 R 696

90.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €9.99

$5.80 R 96.9

92.24%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$2.36 R 39.39

-13.56%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$1.12 R 18.64

176.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$0.90 R 15.06

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.94

$2.42 R 40.36

127.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.14

$3.06 R 51.1

87.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$1.18 R 19.67

33.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.13 R 18.91

110.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$1.74 R 29.02

66.67%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.65

$2.57 R 42.98

58.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.62

$8.43 R 141

106.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.25

$5.12 R 85.5

145.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.06

$7.59 R 127

165.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$1.77 R 29.64

45.76%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.74 R 29.02

25.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.77 R 29.55

51.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$1.76 R 29.38

85.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.49 R 24.91

27.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.47 R 24.48

23.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.23 R 20.61

27.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$1.10 R 18.33

-50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €5.99

$3.24 R 54.2

106.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.15

$5.00 R 83.5

59.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.50 R 25.01

18.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.94 R 32.40

21.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.48 R 24.69

29.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.90

$59.3 R 990

-26.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.03

$1.09 R 18.29

415.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$0.99 R 16.53

72.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.12

$7.46 R 125

350.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.43 R 23.86

41.96%

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

$35.3K €31.6K

$35.3K R 589.8K

0.02%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$32.4K R 541.9K

13.29%

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

$227 €203

$133 R 2,218

70.67%

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

$11.59 €10.38

$34.83 R 582

-66.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.21

$39.76 R 664

-23.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.37

$33.09 R 553

56.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.22

$11.65 R 195

103.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.50

$7.18 R 120

47.63%

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

$568 €508

$224 R 3,744

153.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$5,462 R 91.3K

110.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.1

$54.2 R 906

67.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.53

$34.13 R 570

12.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$102 R 1,706

0.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €117

$88.5 R 1,478

48.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €739

$492 R 8,223

67.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €579

$398 R 6,645

62.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,254

$946 R 15.8K

47.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €944

$827 R 13.8K

27.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,280

$1,099 R 18.4K

233.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,061

$769 R 12.8K

199.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,689

$1,502 R 25.1K

25.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

11.23

-68.30%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 38.4% $248

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 43.7% $152

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 43.6% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 22.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 23.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

South Africa

$47 4% 35% $26

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 9.1% $6

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $422 in South Africa. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $450 in Pretoria.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $1,488 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 73% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 87% more in Italy.

Public transport is 42% more expensive in South Africa.

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

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

11:57 11:57 AM

12:57 12:57 PM

1 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy South Africa 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
South Africa

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 $1,843 per month in Italy and $1,203 in South Africa, South Africa comes out about 35% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $422 in South Africa. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In South Africa, $1,500 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, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.