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 21.1% more expensive than China without rent, and 35.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 23.8% more expensive than China without rent, and 27.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 R 140

$2.82 ¥19.48

208.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.91 R 626

$23.62 ¥163

64.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 R 83.3

$4.97 ¥34.30

4.02%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 33.04

$3.14 ¥21.63

-34.71%

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

$1.02 R 16.48

$0.44 ¥3.06

131.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.22

$0.27 ¥1.84

181.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 R 36.34

$0.93 ¥6.39

143.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 R 40.80

$2.08 ¥14.35

21.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R 17.78

$1.84 ¥12.68

-40.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.94 R 15.15

$1.62 ¥11.15

-41.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.14

$0.96 ¥6.61

68.75%

Eggs

$2.22 R 35.77

$1.56 ¥10.74

42.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.52 R 121

$13.18 ¥90.9

-42.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.48 R 72.1

$3.21 ¥22.11

39.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.61 R 106

$10.89 ¥75.2

-39.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.17

$1.77 ¥12.18

-15.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 R 22.87

$1.25 ¥8.62

13.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.52

$1.52 ¥10.51

-3.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.33

$1.15 ¥7.94

31.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R 20.22

$0.76 ¥5.27

65.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 R 20.85

$0.89 ¥6.13

44.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 R 16.56

$0.61 ¥4.24

68.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.56

$0.54 ¥3.71

79.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 R 46.21

$3.38 ¥23.29

-15.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.90 R 78.9

$11.67 ¥80.5

-58.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.15

$0.78 ¥5.38

67.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 27.93

$1.67 ¥11.52

3.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 R 26.54

$0.43 ¥2.97

283.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.20 R 712

$20.93 ¥144

111.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 R 18.35

$1.41 ¥9.72

-19.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 R 17.56

$0.35 ¥2.44

211.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 R 75.8

$6.48 ¥44.71

-27.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R 20.86

$1.16 ¥8.03

12.07%

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

$20.8K R 334.8K

$19.3K ¥132.9K

7.96%

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

$23.5K R 378.5K

$17.0K ¥117.2K

38.42%

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

$111 R 1,793

$51.3 ¥354

117.16%

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

$32.36 R 521

$9.84 ¥67.9

228.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.49 R 652

$11.49 ¥79.3

252.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.96 R 515

$40.28 ¥278

-20.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.72 R 156

$14.78 ¥102

-34.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.80 R 109

$6.41 ¥44.24

6.08%

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

$189 R 3,035

$403 ¥2,783

-53.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,400 R 70.8K

$17.9K ¥123.3K

-75.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 R 807

$45.91 ¥317

9.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.53 R 492

$32.39 ¥223

-5.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.5 R 1,522

$71.2 ¥492

32.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 R 1,309

$74.0 ¥510

9.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 R 7,289

$436 ¥3,008

3.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 R 5,991

$254 ¥1,750

46.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 R 14.6K

$900 ¥6,210

0.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 R 11.3K

$548 ¥3,781

28.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,150 R 18.5K

$5,140 ¥35.5K

-77.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$836 R 13.5K

$2,676 ¥18.5K

-68.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,471 R 23.7K

$1,024 ¥7,068

43.63%

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for China: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

South Africa

China

South Africa

China

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