Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schio and Polokwane

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $1,668 in Schio, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Schio
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Schio Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index

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Schio

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,668

/mo nomad

Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Schio and in Polokwane

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

A single person spends $1,668 per month in Schio vs $959 in Polokwane, rent included.

Schio $1,668
Polokwane $959

A couple spends around $2,556 per month in Schio vs $1,417 in Polokwane, rent included.

Schio $2,556
Polokwane $1,417

A family of three spends $3,444 per month in Schio vs $1,875 in Polokwane, rent included.

Schio $3,444
Polokwane $1,875

Schio costs about 74% more than Polokwane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Schio sits 24% above the global median, while Polokwane is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.01 €13.35

$12.24 R 202

22.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.8 €50.5

$29.66 R 489

91.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.30 €9.16

$7.46 R 123

38.07%

Cappuccino

$1.81 €1.61

$2.38 R 39.26

-23.95%

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

$2.39 €2.13

$0.77 R 12.68

210.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.88 R 14.47

30.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.66 €5.03

$1.68 R 27.65

236.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.06 €4.50

$1.88 R 30.95

169.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.32 R 21.71

9.85%

White Bread (500g)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.08 R 17.82

116.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.28 €2.92

$1.70 R 28.03

92.94%

Eggs

$4.09 €3.64

$2.65 R 43.69

54.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.01 €15.13

$7.84 R 129

116.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.01 €10.68

$4.59 R 75.6

161.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.85 €16.76

$6.04 R 99.6

212.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.01 R 33.19

7.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.85 R 30.53

21.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.81 R 29.80

22.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.96 R 32.30

14.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.67 R 27.49

16.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.70

$1.50 R 24.73

28.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 €1.47

$1.12 R 18.48

48.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.82 R 13.46

-25.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.85

$2.68 R 44.22

145.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.64 €5.90

$4.87 R 80.2

36.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.15 R 18.88

14.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.61 R 26.54

8.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 €1.51

$0.92 R 15.22

83.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.57 €39.65

$30.03 R 495

48.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.77 €7.80

$0.87 R 14.41

908.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 €1.53

$0.95 R 15.66

81.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.67 €39.74

$14.36 R 237

211.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.43 R 23.52

37.76%

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

$36.2K €32.2K

$26.1K R 430.1K

38.64%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$28.5K R 469.0K

24.70%

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

$193 €172

$138 R 2,281

39.61%

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

$8.75 €7.78

$38.10 R 628

-77.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.80 €30.06

$32.99 R 544

2.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.7 €54.9

$23.29 R 384

165.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.44 €20.85

Cinema Ticket

$10.45 €9.30

$8.00 R 132

30.62%

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

$509 €452

$179 R 2,946

184.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.5K €12.0K

$1,452 R 23.9K

827.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 €70.4

$45.30 R 746

74.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.25 €29.58

$37.73 R 622

-11.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.2 €80.2

$80.6 R 1,328

11.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €137

$93.7 R 1,544

64.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 €639

$290 R 4,785

147.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 €506

$203 R 3,338

180.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,097 €976

$420 R 6,922

161.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,004 €893

$284 R 4,683

253.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,491 €2,216

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,751 €1,558

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,343 R 22.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

10.91

-69.39%

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

Last update for Schio: October 12, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Schio

$569 34.1%

Polokwane

$203 21.1% 64.4% $366

Groceries & Markets

Schio

$326 19.6%

Polokwane

$185 19.3% 43.2% $141

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Schio

$236 14.1%

Polokwane

$210 21.8% 11.2% $26

Eating Out

Schio

$225 13.5%

Polokwane

$168 17.5% 25.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Schio

$161 9.6%

Polokwane

$116 12.1% 27.9% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Schio

$83 5%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 52.4% $43

Getting Around

Schio

$69 4.1%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 42.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $718 in Schio versus $290 in Polokwane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Schio versus $30.00 in Polokwane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $185 – making Polokwane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Schio

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

Same time as Schio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,355

628,999

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Schio Polokwane 7,950 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Schio
Polokwane

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

Schio vs Polokwane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Schio costs about 74% more than Polokwane, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,502 per month in Schio and $1,439 in Polokwane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Polokwane, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $509 per month in Schio and $179 in Polokwane. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 76% more in Schio, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polokwane, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Schio at $1,668. In Polokwane it covers expenses comfortably, while in Schio it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Polokwane – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Polokwane. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Schio makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.