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

Name: China
Address: CN

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 24.5% more expensive than China without rent, and 33% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 22.7% more expensive than China without rent, and 26.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 R 161

$2.85 ¥20.46

217.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.84 R 691

$23.97 ¥172

62.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.9 R 87.1

$4.96 ¥35.61

-1.21%

Cappuccino

$1.98 R 35.28

$3.13 ¥22.47

-36.74%

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

$0.96 R 17.06

$0.44 ¥3.18

118.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 R 13.31

$0.29 ¥2.1

158.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 R 38.72

$0.95 ¥6.83

129.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R 45.1

$2.14 ¥15.32

18.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.1 R 19.58

$1.85 ¥13.23

-40.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 R 18.32

$1.68 ¥12.06

-38.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 R 27.71

$0.95 ¥6.81

64.21%

Eggs

$2.25 R 39.93

$1.55 ¥11.11

45.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.67 R 136

$13.25 ¥95.1

-42.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 R 82.2

$3.28 ¥23.52

40.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.86 R 122

$10.85 ¥77.8

-36.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.58 R 28.02

$1.77 ¥12.66

-10.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 R 25.3

$1.26 ¥9.01

12.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R 25.58

$1.5 ¥10.73

-4.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 R 26.5

$1.19 ¥8.5

25.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 R 22.16

$0.75 ¥5.4

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 R 23.81

$0.86 ¥6.15

55.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 R 19.31

$0.61 ¥4.37

78.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 17.15

$0.58 ¥4.14

65.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.9 R 51.6

$3.45 ¥24.74

-15.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.07 R 90.3

$11.3 ¥81.1

-55.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 24.49

$0.84 ¥6

64.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 R 29.79

$1.68 ¥12.05

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 R 30.47

$0.4 ¥2.86

327.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.01 R 801

$20.83 ¥149

116.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.1 R 19.61

$1.36 ¥9.74

-19.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 R 19.41

$0.35 ¥2.55

211.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.8 R 85.3

$6.8 ¥48.75

-29.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R 23.23

$1.12 ¥8.05

16.96%

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

$21K R 374.2K

$19.2K ¥137.7K

9.59%

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

$23.7K R 421.3K

$16.7K ¥119.8K

41.89%

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

$113 R 2,009

$51.4 ¥369

119.62%

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

$33.11 R 589

$9.77 ¥70.1

238.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.49 R 738

$11.34 ¥81.3

265.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.69 R 564

$39.55 ¥284

-19.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.45 R 168

$14.89 ¥107

-36.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.7 R 119

$6.23 ¥44.71

7.54%

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

$186 R 3,303

$417 ¥2,989

-55.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,336 R 77.1K

$17.7K ¥126.8K

-75.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.56 R 864

$45.65 ¥327

6.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.74 R 547

$33.49 ¥240

-8.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92 R 1,636

$71.8 ¥515

28.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.6 R 1,415

$72.9 ¥523

9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$442 R 7,860

$445 ¥3,194

-0.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 R 6,579

$255 ¥1,830

45.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 R 15.7K

$915 ¥6,566

-3.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.9K

$543 ¥3,895

33.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,021 R 18.2K

$6,142 ¥44.1K

-83.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$803 R 14.3K

$2,860 ¥20.5K

-71.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,406 R 25K

$942 ¥6,755

49.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

4.06

184.48%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

Last update for China: October 29, 2025

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