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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 101.7% more expensive than India without rent, and 147.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 110.9% more expensive than India without rent, and 130.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
India
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.84 R 145
$2.54 ₹230
248.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.50 R 631
$13.78 ₹1,251
179.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.07 R 83.2
$4.14 ₹375
22.46%
Cappuccino
$2.04 R 33.40
$1.81 ₹164
12.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 17.02
$0.41 ₹36.98
153.66%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 R 12.08
$0.15 ₹13.69
393.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.31 R 37.83
$1.93 ₹175
19.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 R 40.57
$3.59 ₹326
-31.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
India
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 R 17.55
$0.73 ₹65.9
46.58%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 R 16.51
$0.51 ₹46.62
98.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 R 25.79
$0.72 ₹65.1
118.06%
Eggs
$2.33 R 38.26
$1.00 ₹90.5
133.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.68 R 126
$5.17 ₹469
48.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.47 R 73.4
$3.16 ₹287
41.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.60 R 108
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.55
$2.10 ₹191
-25.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 R 23.80
$0.72 ₹65.3
101.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.79
$1.08 ₹98.3
39.81%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.39
$0.56 ₹51.1
166.07%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 R 19.91
$0.43 ₹38.99
181.40%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 R 21.80
$0.49 ₹44.46
171.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 17.70
$0.50 ₹45.73
116.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.34
$0.33 ₹29.84
184.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.85 R 46.74
$4.18 ₹380
-31.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.89 R 80.3
$8.00 ₹726
-38.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 22.64
$1.89 ₹172
-26.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 R 27.65
$3.06 ₹278
-44.77%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.61 ₹509
-
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
India
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.73 R 28.33
$0.37 ₹33.33
367.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.33 R 743
$9.71 ₹881
366.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.10 R 18.01
$0.91 ₹82.8
20.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.10 R 18.03
$0.28 ₹25.17
292.86%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.69 R 76.9
$1.73 ₹157
171.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.32
$1.18 ₹107
10.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.6K R 337.3K
$13.9K ₹1.3M
47.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K R 396.4K
$22.2K ₹2.0M
8.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
India
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$110 R 1,811
$40.51 ₹3,676
172.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.07 R 526
$3.89 ₹353
724.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.81 R 669
$7.79 ₹707
423.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
India
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.33 R 514
$16.34 ₹1,482
91.74%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.44 R 155
$7.62 ₹691
23.88%
Cinema Ticket
$6.90 R 113
$3.51 ₹319
96.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
India
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$187 R 3,074
$68.3 ₹6,194
174.59%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,385 R 71.9K
$1,829 ₹166.0K
139.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
India
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.70 R 815
$25.62 ₹2,325
93.99%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.23 R 512
$27.01 ₹2,451
15.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.0 R 1,526
$45.10 ₹4,093
106.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.7 R 1,307
$33.35 ₹3,026
138.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
India
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$443 R 7,265
$179 ₹16.2K
147.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$369 R 6,048
$113 ₹10.3K
226.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$890 R 14.6K
$406 ₹36.8K
119.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 11.9K
$258 ₹23.4K
180.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,125 R 18.5K
$1,338 ₹121.4K
-15.88%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$823 R 13.5K
$682 ₹61.9K
20.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
India
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,486 R 24.4K
$462 ₹41.9K
221.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
9.02
28.05%

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

Last update for South Africa: January 12, 2026

Last update for India: January 11, 2026

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