Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,209 a month against $1,804 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,209 in South Africa versus $1,804 in Italy.

South Africa $1,209
Italy $1,804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,900 in South Africa versus $2,778 in Italy.

South Africa $1,900
Italy $2,778

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,590 in South Africa versus $3,752 in Italy.

South Africa $2,590
Italy $3,752

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,035 to $2,560, compared to $625–$1,586 in South Africa. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in South Africa costs about 33% less than in Italy on average.

South Africa (10% below) and Italy (34% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.95 R 180

$19.89 €17.70

-44.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.96 R 708

$77.0 €68.5

-44.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 R 94.9

$11.00 €9.78

-47.64%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.20

$1.99 €1.77

19.60%

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

$1.16 R 19.15

$2.96 €2.63

-60.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.33

$1.41 €1.25

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.21

$5.60 €4.98

-56.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R 49.14

$5.67 €5.05

-47.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.38

$1.61 €1.43

-26.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 R 18.30

$2.30 €2.05

-51.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.71

$2.99 €2.66

-41.81%

Eggs

$2.49 R 40.95

$4.06 €3.61

-38.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 R 140

$17.23 €15.33

-50.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.16 R 85.0

$12.68 €11.28

-59.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R 124

$20.36 €18.11

-63.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.00

$2.54 €2.26

-25.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.71

$2.15 €1.91

-21.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.39

$2.56 €2.28

-30.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.21

$3.22 €2.86

-43.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.51

$1.92 €1.70

-22.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.77

$1.84 €1.64

-18.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R 20.99

$1.51 €1.34

-15.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.09

$0.55 €0.49

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$6.81 €6.06

-51.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 R 82.9

$8.03 €7.15

-37.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.10

$1.72 €1.53

-11.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.16

$2.37 €2.11

-17.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.88 €1.67

-15.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 R 1,011

$43.31 €38.52

41.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 R 18.34

$5.57 €4.95

-80.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.64

$1.63 €1.45

-41.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 123

$33.78 €30.04

-77.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 23.98

$2.04 €1.81

-28.43%

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

$35.4K R 583.7K

$35.6K €31.7K

-0.55%

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

$30.9K R 509.0K

$35.4K €31.5K

-12.68%

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

$134 R 2,201

$222 €198

-39.95%

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

$34.44 R 567

$11.43 €10.17

201.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 R 665

$30.65 €27.26

31.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 R 562

$52.7 €46.89

-35.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.59 R 191

$23.82 €21.19

-51.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 R 118

$10.51 €9.35

-31.78%

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

$227 R 3,746

$541 €481

-57.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,487 R 90.4K

$11.7K €10.4K

-53.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 R 885

$90.0 €80.0

-40.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.60 R 554

$39.08 €34.76

-14.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 R 1,645

$101 €90.2

-1.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 R 1,440

$132 €117

-33.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 R 7,943

$805 €716

-40.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 R 6,568

$619 €550

-35.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$1,388 €1,235

-32.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 R 13.5K

$1,050 €934

-22.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,096 R 18.1K

$3,623 €3,223

-69.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 R 12.9K

$2,229 €1,983

-64.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,515 R 25.0K

$1,889 €1,680

-19.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

3.56

215.45%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$399 33%

Italy

$619 34.3% 55.2% $220

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$208 17.2%

Italy

$265 14.7% 26.9% $56

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$197 16.3%

Italy

$347 19.2% 76.3% $150

Eating Out

South Africa

$160 13.2%

Italy

$273 15.1% 70.8% $113

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$124 10.2%

Italy

$163 9% 32% $40

Getting Around

South Africa

$74 6.1%

Italy

$65 3.6% 12.2% $9

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$48 4%

Italy

$74 4.1% 52.2% $25

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $421 in South Africa, $721 in Italy. Capital cities: $1,021 in Cape Town vs $1,222 in Rome.

National salary averages: $1,487 in South Africa, $1,888 in Italy. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 71% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 92% more in Italy.

Public transport is 141% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 27% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

Same time as South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

58,850,717

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Italy 8,020 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Italy

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 Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,804 per month in Italy and $1,209 in South Africa, there's a 49% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in South Africa: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $721 in Italy and $421 in South Africa. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In South Africa, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: South Africa wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.