Cost of Living in South Africa - Updated Prices & Insights

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

Solo nomad: Estimated monthly costs are $593 (excluding rent), and $1,074 including rent.

Family of 3: Estimated monthly costs are $1,448 (excluding rent), and $2,252 including rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.72 R 143

$4.63 R 76.1

$16.37 R 269

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.53 R 649

$28.24 R 464

$67.8 R 1,113

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 R 84.6

$4.29 R 70.5

$5.79 R 95.0

Cappuccino

$1.95 R 32.06

$1.09 R 17.87

$2.72 R 44.67

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

$0.96 R 15.84

$0.65 R 10.72

$1.64 R 26.88

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R 13.17

$0.58 R 9.58

$1.46 R 23.95

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 R 35.85

$1.31 R 21.45

$3.17 R 52.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 R 42.60

$1.73 R 28.40

$3.75 R 61.5

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.37

$0.86 R 14.16

$1.72 R 28.31

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 R 15.78

$0.61 R 10.04

$1.30 R 21.36

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.59

$1.14 R 18.73

$2.57 R 42.14

Eggs

$2.32 R 38.12

$1.36 R 22.31

$3.41 R 55.9

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 R 130

$5.17 R 84.9

$11.48 R 189

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 R 75.2

$2.78 R 45.65

$6.67 R 110

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.64 R 109

$4.90 R 80.5

$9.36 R 154

Apples (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.03

$0.86 R 14.20

$2.24 R 36.85

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.30

$0.86 R 14.17

$2.59 R 42.52

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.49

$0.68 R 11.09

$3.39 R 55.6

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.95

$0.83 R 13.70

$2.01 R 32.95

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.78

$0.55 R 9.00

$2.19 R 36.02

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 R 22.00

$0.80 R 13.10

$2.00 R 32.91

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 R 16.96

$0.65 R 10.72

$1.36 R 22.40

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.98

$0.69 R 11.27

$1.43 R 23.55

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 R 49.06

$2.59 R 42.48

$3.74 R 61.4

Wine (Bottle)

$4.99 R 81.9

$3.08 R 50.6

$9.24 R 152

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.73

$0.86 R 14.15

$2.30 R 37.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 R 27.10

$0.98 R 16.10

$2.72 R 44.64

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 R 27.90

$0.85 R 13.95

$3.96 R 65.1

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.63 R 749

$26.24 R 431

$91.3 R 1,499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R 18.11

$0.89 R 14.55

$2.21 R 36.22

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 R 17.52

$0.53 R 8.76

$1.60 R 26.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.77 R 78.4

$3.21 R 52.7

$8.42 R 138

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.33

$1.21 R 19.82

$1.43 R 23.51

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

$21.0K R 345.3K

$17.6K R 289.7K

$28.4K R 466.5K

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

$24.0K R 393.7K

$20.3K R 333.5K

$28.4K R 465.7K

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

$114 R 1,872

$68.4 R 1,124

$228 R 3,745

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

$32.72 R 537

$16.88 R 277

$56.5 R 927

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.08 R 675

$27.95 R 459

$55.9 R 918

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.96 R 525

$16.96 R 278

$55.0 R 903

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.59 R 157

$3.38 R 55.4

$14.07 R 231

Cinema Ticket

$6.52 R 107

$4.62 R 75.9

$10.87 R 178

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

$190 R 3,116

$112 R 1,845

$281 R 4,613

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,306 R 70.7K

$1,926 R 31.6K

$8,255 R 135.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.68 R 816

$28.29 R 465

$67.9 R 1,115

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.58 R 502

$13.94 R 229

$55.8 R 916

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 R 1,525

$53.0 R 871

$140 R 2,291

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.2 R 1,333

$45.41 R 746

$125 R 2,053

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 R 7,443

$257 R 4,221

$857 R 14.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 5,972

$249 R 4,094

$554 R 9,097

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$888 R 14.6K

$551 R 9,053

$1,615 R 26.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.8K

$481 R 7,903

$1,133 R 18.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,124 R 18.5K

$601 R 9,874

$2,273 R 37.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$813 R 13.4K

$546 R 8,973

$1,591 R 26.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,504 R 24.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

9.42

13.4

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

Last update: January 20, 2026

By City in South Africa

Lowest

Highest

Rank	City	Population	Living Index	Solo costs (no rent) / month	Solo costs (with rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (no rent) / month	Family of 3 costs (with rent) / month	Mobile download speed (Mbps)	Internet download speed (Mbps)
1	Alberton	-	55	$666	$1,106	$1,645	$2,390	149.59	58.25
2	Alexandra	179624	50	$473	$990	$1,183	$2,095	17.75	80.74
3	Amersfoort	12335	50	$559	$993	$1,258	$2,141	260.09	15.87
4	Ballito	-	52	$508	$1,063	$1,334	$1,945	88.54	25.44
5	Bellville	112507	45	$495	$903	$1,303	$1,956	166.36	59.37
6	Benoni	158777	55	$512	$1,120	$1,317	$3,792	65.38	58.25
7	Bhisho	-	52	$635	$1,025	$1,501	$2,230	88.88	37.6
8	Bloemfontein	370000	47	$547	$951	$1,291	$1,957	202.11	37.55
9	Boksburg	260000	52	$553	$1,046	$1,656	$2,279	31.5	58.25
10	Brackenfell	80000	45	$446	$917	$1,262	$1,887	47.82	59.37
11	Brakpan	-	46	$622	$923	$1,225	$1,991	96.91	58.25
12	Burgersfort	10000	49	$517	$995	$1,317	$2,027	146.91	10.29
13	Cape Town	3740026	64	$667	$1,265	$1,585	$2,738	270.84	79.94
14	Centurion	236580	57	$689	$1,155	$1,620	$2,492	96.57	71.18
15	Durban	3442361	53	$558	$1,081	$1,325	$2,007	38.26	55.68
16	Durbanville	40000	52	$652	$1,043	$1,346	$2,295	275.04	59.37
17	East London	267007	53	$571	$1,079	$1,414	$2,054	155.05	44.3
18	Edenvale	60000	63	$688	$1,260	$1,550	$2,557	212.62	58.25
19	Emalahleni	108673	53	$600	$1,061	$1,488	$2,235	22.82	31.75
20	Fourways	-	49	$567	$998	$1,440	$2,010	125.21	82.69
21	George	-	54	$643	$1,062	$1,308	$2,399	36.32	31.5
22	Grahamstown	67264	50	$565	$1,012	$1,445	$2,117	46.27	13.94
23	Hartebeespoort	-	43	$489	$852	$1,143	$1,859	36.18	17.32
24	Heidelberg, GP	35000	51	$559	$1,023	$1,337	$2,147	151.96	11.34
25	Hermanus	-	57	$660	$1,129	$1,468	$2,466	206.27	27.71
26	Hillcrest	-	66	$535	$1,299	$1,164	$2,475	117.15	51.57
27	Howick	-	44	$371	$894	$1,089	$1,830	29.34	24.82
28	Jeffreys Bay	27107	51	$579	$1,043	$1,176	$2,034	91.31	32.73
29	Johannesburg	4434827	58	$682	$1,156	$1,603	$2,435	98.38	78.86
30	Kempton Park	-	50	$620	$1,021	$1,468	$2,138	53.97	58.25
31	Kimberley	225160	53	$571	$1,062	$1,551	$2,494	69.46	34.7
32	Klerksdorp	186515	48	$519	$938	$1,179	$2,023	93.03	31.7
33	Knysna	51078	55	$542	$1,086	$1,197	$2,224	50.86	33.42
34	Krugersdorp	275000	53	$671	$1,063	$1,290	$2,241	84.95	49.32
35	Kuruman	-	50	$587	$1,005	$1,149	$2,101	79.21	9.67
36	KwaMhlanga	18604	50	$586	$1,018	$1,292	$2,170	238.11	7.68
37	Ladismith, WC	7000	49	$479	$994	$1,171	$2,156	264.78	8.4
38	Louis Trichardt	25360	50	$602	$1,015	$1,327	$2,119	31.35	5.72
39	Margate	-	46	$381	$908	$969	$1,895	68.02	41.76
40	Middelburg	87348	51	$602	$1,008	$1,195	$2,161	81.33	28.9
41	Midrand	-	55	$575	$1,087	$1,441	$2,180	186.17	80.74
42	Mossel Bay	60000	50	$553	$984	$1,242	$2,120	87.96	31.56
43	Nelspruit	110159	50	$493	$1,012	$1,569	$2,149	219.78	21.46
44	Newcastle	363236	49	$546	$986	$1,224	$2,079	151.3	22.62
45	Oudtshoorn	61507	50	$625	$1,006	$1,461	$2,145	12.46	26.99
46	Paarl	112045	49	$575	$958	$1,361	$2,308	19.5	28.59
47	Pietermaritzburg	618536	53	$688	$1,056	$1,533	$2,100	102.59	41.4
48	Plettenberg Bay	-	52	$532	$1,027	$1,339	$2,320	157.44	27.86
49	Polokwane	628999	41	$522	$828	$1,340	$1,743	161.56	12.8
50	Port Elizabeth	1050000	59	$615	$1,180	$1,537	$2,538	39.97	50.4

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cost of Living in South Africa - Frequently Asked Questions

Many find the Cost of Living in South Africa surprisingly flexible, with options to suit lean budgets or more comfortable setups. Favor walkable neighborhoods, local markets, and reliable public transit to keep daily costs reasonable while still enjoying modern amenities in cities. The range is broad: urban cores can feel pricier, while smaller towns offer more breathing room. Seasonal tourism and exchange-rate shifts can nudge day-to-day expenses, but thoughtful housing and lifestyle choices keep options open. Tip: map a base area that minimizes commutes and maximizes access to coworking spaces and groceries.

Daily life varies by city and neighborhood, but you’ll find a mix of secure apartments, shared housing, and family-friendly blocks with easy grocery access. Cooking at home and shopping at local markets can stretch budgets, while dining out offers variety. Public transit, rideshares, and carpooling provide flexible travel options, and many neighborhoods are walkable enough to reduce commutes. For remote work, look for coworking hubs or cafés with dependable Wi‑Fi. South Africa living cost varies by location, so choose a base that minimizes long trips and maximizes access to essentials. Tip: plan a weekly errand loop to save time and fuel.

Quality of life hinges on fit: cluster where you work or study, prefer climate, and value safety and access to nature, festivals, and dining. A practical budgeting framework focuses on needs first, then flexible spending, with periodic reviews to rebalance when prices shift or seasons change. Track utility use and transportation choices, since electricity and transit costs can vary by season. Neighborhoods with mixed-use layouts and easy access to parks, cafes, and gyms tend to offer sustainable lifestyles for long stays. Tip: build in a quarterly check-in to align housing, transport, and groceries with your routine.