Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Brazil

Name: Brazil
Address: BR

For one person, living is cheaper in Brazil: $915 a month against $1,209 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Brazil
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Brazil Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

🇧🇷 Brazil

$915

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,209 per month in South Africa vs $915 in Brazil, rent included.

South Africa $1,209
Brazil $915

A couple spends around $1,900 per month in South Africa vs $1,462 in Brazil, rent included.

South Africa $1,900
Brazil $1,462

A family of three spends $2,590 per month in South Africa vs $2,009 in Brazil, rent included.

South Africa $2,590
Brazil $2,009

Cost ranges are similar: South Africa spans $625–$1,586, Brazil $611–$1,451. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in South Africa is about 32% higher than in Brazil on average.

Both South Africa and Brazil are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 10% lower, Brazil 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.95 R 180

$6.73 R$34.09

62.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.96 R 708

$34.26 R$174

25.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 R 94.9

$7.98 R$40.47

-27.82%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.20

$2.16 R$10.97

10.19%

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

$1.16 R 19.15

$1.30 R$6.61

-10.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.33

$0.75 R$3.80

16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.21

$1.96 R$9.95

24.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R 49.14

$3.06 R$15.52

-2.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.38

$1.09 R$5.54

8.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 R 18.30

$1.69 R$8.54

-34.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.71

$1.28 R$6.50

35.94%

Eggs

$2.49 R 40.95

$2.28 R$11.54

9.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 R 140

$9.90 R$50.2

-14.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.16 R 85.0

$4.38 R$22.21

17.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R 124

$8.64 R$43.78

-13.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.00

$2.38 R$12.04

-21.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.71

$1.37 R$6.95

22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.39

$1.29 R$6.54

37.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.21

$1.65 R$8.37

10.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.51

$1.19 R$6.04

25.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.77

$1.14 R$5.78

31.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R 20.99

$0.82 R$4.15

54.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.09

$0.77 R$3.91

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$2.43 R$12.31

34.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 R 82.9

$8.06 R$40.84

-37.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.10

$1.38 R$7.00

10.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.16

$2.33 R$11.80

-16.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.99 R$5.03

59.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 R 1,011

$47.39 R$240

29.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 R 18.34

$1.34 R$6.78

-17.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.64

$0.99 R$5.00

-4.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 123

$7.82 R$39.66

-4.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 23.98

$1.30 R$6.60

12.31%

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

$35.4K R 583.7K

$23.6K R$119.6K

50.23%

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

$30.9K R 509.0K

$33.5K R$169.9K

-7.80%

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

$134 R 2,201

$84.8 R$430

57.55%

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

$34.44 R 567

$12.97 R$65.8

165.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 R 665

$21.05 R$107

91.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 R 562

$26.33 R$133

29.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.59 R 191

$27.36 R$139

-57.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 R 118

$7.27 R$36.87

-1.38%

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

$227 R 3,746

$342 R$1,732

-33.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,487 R 90.4K

$9,086 R$46.1K

-39.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 R 885

$54.5 R$276

-1.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.60 R 554

$50.1 R$254

-32.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 R 1,645

$90.0 R$456

10.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 R 1,440

$72.2 R$366

20.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 R 7,943

$383 R$1,939

26.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 R 6,568

$250 R$1,269

59.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$742 R$3,761

26.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 R 13.5K

$501 R$2,540

63.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,096 R 18.1K

$1,935 R$9,811

-43.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 R 12.9K

$1,294 R$6,558

-39.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,515 R 25.0K

$537 R$2,722

182.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

11.17

0.54%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Brazil: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$399 33%

Brazil

$250 27.4% 37.2% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$208 17.2%

Brazil

$119 13% 43% $90

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$197 16.3%

Brazil

$199 21.8% 1.2% $2.4

Eating Out

South Africa

$160 13.2%

Brazil

$128 14% 20% $32

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$124 10.2%

Brazil

$120 13.1% 2.8% $3.5

Getting Around

South Africa

$74 6.1%

Brazil

$58 6.3% 21.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$48 4%

Brazil

$41 4.5% 15.6% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $421 in South Africa vs $353 in Brazil. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,021 in Cape Town and $507 in Brasilia.

Average salary: $1,487 in South Africa vs $503 in Brazil. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 19% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 23% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 141% more expensive in Brazil.

Salaries are 196% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇧🇷 Brazil

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

5 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

203,062,512

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Brazil 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Brazil

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

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

Brazil is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 32% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $421 versus $353 in Brazil.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Brazil, but in South Africa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Brazil is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.