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

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 43.2% cheaper than Germany without rent, and 49.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 44.8% cheaper than Germany without rent, and 48.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Germany
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.05 R 161
$17.11 €14.78
-47.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.84 R 691
$74.9 €64.7
-48.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.9 R 87.1
$11.47 €9.91
-57.28%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.28
$4.01 €3.46
-50.62%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.06
$3.33 €2.88
-71.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.31
$2.89 €2.5
-74.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.18 R 38.72
$5.24 €4.52
-58.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 R 45.1
$4.58 €3.95
-44.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Germany
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.1 R 19.58
$1.26 €1.08
-12.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 R 18.32
$2.19 €1.89
-52.97%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 R 27.71
$3.46 €2.99
-54.91%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.93
$3.79 €3.28
-40.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.67 R 136
$14.73 €12.72
-47.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 R 82.2
$13.83 €11.94
-66.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.86 R 122
$19.93 €17.21
-65.58%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.02
$3.18 €2.75
-50.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.3
$1.79 €1.55
-20.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 R 25.58
$2.32 €2
-37.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.5
$4.73 €4.09
-68.50%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 R 22.16
$1.58 €1.37
-20.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.81
$1.62 €1.4
-17.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.31
$1.86 €1.6
-41.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.15
$1.07 €0.92
-10.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.9 R 51.6
$9.84 €8.5
-70.53%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.07 R 90.3
$6.85 €5.92
-25.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.49
$1.1 €0.95
25.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.79
$1.7 €1.46
-1.18%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Germany
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 R 30.47
$3.68 €3.18
-53.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.01 R 801
$68 €58.7
-33.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.61
$5.87 €5.07
-81.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 19.41
$2.23 €1.92
-51.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.8 R 85.3
$37.69 €32.54
-87.26%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.97 €1.7
-33.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 374.2K
$31.7K €27.4K
-33.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 421.3K
$37.3K €32.2K
-36.53%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Germany
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 R 2,009
$350 €302
-67.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.11 R 589
$27.07 €23.37
22.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.49 R 738
$51.9 €44.83
-20.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Germany
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.69 R 564
$40.64 €35.09
-22.02%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.45 R 168
$24.54 €21.19
-61.49%
Cinema Ticket
$6.7 R 119
$14.15 €12.22
-52.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Germany
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$186 R 3,303
$463 €400
-59.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,336 R 77.1K
$15.1K €13K
-71.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Germany
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.56 R 864
$94.4 €81.5
-48.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.74 R 547
$43.6 €37.65
-29.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92 R 1,636
$100 €86.7
-8.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 R 1,415
$133 €115
-40.15%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Germany
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 R 7,860
$1,042 €900
-57.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 R 6,579
$765 €660
-51.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$880 R 15.7K
$1,909 €1,648
-53.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 12.9K
$1,445 €1,247
-49.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,021 R 18.2K
$6,341 €5,475
-83.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 R 14.3K
$4,896 €4,227
-83.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Germany
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,406 R 25K
$3,362 €2,903
-58.17%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
3.98
190.20%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

Last update for Germany: October 29, 2025

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