Cost of living and expenses in South Africa

What are the costs of living, how much do you have to spend on fees and expenses in South Africa? What is the cost of a mortgage, what are the average earnings in South Africa, and how much do you have to spend on clothes or a flat in the centre or on the outskirts of the city?
Below you will read about the expenses, fees, rental prices, how much you have to pay for clothes or shoes and the cost of living in South Africa (The last update: 2 days ago)

Currency in South Africa South African rand (ZAR). For 10 US dollars you can get 184 South African rand. For 100 US dollars you can get 1.84 thousand South African rand. And the other way around: For 100 South African rand you can get 5.44 US dollars.


See also how prices have changed in previous years: Price changes in previous years in South Africa


What are the different prices in the cities in South Africa? Look here: Prices in cities in South Africa

Prices: Cape Town   Durban   Johannesburg   Pietermaritzburg   Port Elizabeth   Pretoria   Roodepoort   Richards Bay   Boksburg   East London  


Price fees $103 ($54 - $190)

fees

$103 ($54 - $190)
by half less than in United States

Price internet $41 ($30 - $54)

internet

$41 ($30 - $54)
by half less than in United States

Price jeans $45 ($24 - $65)

jeans

$45 ($24 - $65)
15% is less expensive than in United States

Price average earnings $1.33K

average earnings

$1.33K
71% is less expensive than in United States

Price renting a small apartment in the center $448 ($272 - $815)

renting a small apartment in the center

$448 ($272 - $815)
75% is less expensive than in United States

Price renting a large apartment outside the center $659 ($435 - $978)

renting a large apartment outside the center

$659 ($435 - $978)
73% is less expensive than in United States

The cost of living in South Africa:

  1. One-way Ticket (Local Transport) $1.6 (ZAR 30)
  2. Monthly Pass (Regular Price) $43 (ZAR 800)
  3. Gasoline (1 liter) $1.3 (ZAR 23)
  4. Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW (or equivalent new car) $19K (ZAR 350K)
  5. Apartment (1 bedroom) in city centre $448 (ZAR 8.24K)
  6. Apartment (1 bedroom) outside of centre $344 (ZAR 6.33K)
  7. Apartment (3 bedrooms) in city centre $853 (ZAR 15.7K)
  8. Apartment (3 bedrooms) outside of centre $659 (ZAR 12.1K)
  9. Utilities (electricity, heating, water, garbage) for an 85m2 apartment $103 (ZAR 1.89K)
  10. Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) $41 (ZAR 758)
  11. numb_34 $32 (ZAR 595)
  12. 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) $45 (ZAR 820)
  13. 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M,...) $29 (ZAR 531)
  14. 1 pair of Nike running shoes or similar $83 (ZAR 1.52K)
  15. 1 pair of men's leather shoes $76 (ZAR 1.4K)
  16. Toyota Corolla 1.6l, 97kW Comfort (or equivalent new car) $22.2K (ZAR 409K)
  17. Preschool (or Kindergarten), Private, Monthly for 1 Child $189 (ZAR 3.47K)
  18. Price per square meter for an apartment in the city center $997 (ZAR 18.3K)
  19. International Primary School, Annually for 1 Child $4.29K (ZAR 78.9K)
  20. Price per square meter for an apartment outside of city centre $782 (ZAR 14.4K)
  21. Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) $1.33K (ZAR 24.4K)
  22. Mortgage annual interest rate in percentages (%) 11%
  23. Taxi starting fare (normal tariff) $1.1 (ZAR 20)
  24. Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff) $1 (ZAR 19)
  25. Taxi 1 hour waiting (normal tariff) $4.8 (ZAR 88)
source: hikersbay.com & numbeo.com

Price changes in previous years in South Africa

Price changes in One Square Meter Of An Apartment In The Center over the years: 2010: $516(ZAR 9.49K), 2011: $487(ZAR 8.96K), 2012: $528(ZAR 9.71K), 2013: $671(ZAR 12.4K), 2014: $545(ZAR 10K), 2015: $761(ZAR 14K), 2016: $809(ZAR 14.9K), 2017: $935(ZAR 17.2K), and 2018: $937(ZAR 17.2K)

South Africa price changes: Price per square meter for an apartment in the city center 2010-2018
South Africa price changes Price per square meter for an apartment in the city center hikersbay.com

Have earnings increased in South Africa?
See the average salary in previous years in 2010: $715(ZAR 13.2K), 2011: $763(ZAR 14K), 2012: $764(ZAR 14.1K), 2013: $847(ZAR 15.6K), 2014: $905(ZAR 16.7K), 2015: $955(ZAR 17.6K), 2016: $980(ZAR 18K), 2017: $971(ZAR 17.9K), and 2018: $871(ZAR 16K)

South Africa price changes: Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 2010-2018
South Africa price changes Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) hikersbay.com

Price changes in Fees over the years: 2010: $62(ZAR 1.14K), 2011: $62(ZAR 1.13K), 2012: $56(ZAR 1.04K), 2013: $56(ZAR 1.03K), 2014: $52(ZAR 958), 2015: $59(ZAR 1.08K), 2016: $56(ZAR 1.03K), 2017: $54(ZAR 996), and 2018: $65(ZAR 1.2K)

South Africa price changes: Utilities (electricity, heating, water, garbage) for an 85m2 apartment 2010-2018
South Africa price changes Utilities (electricity, heating, water, garbage) for an 85m2 apartment hikersbay.com

Price changes in Internet over the years: 2010: $27(ZAR 501), 2011: $24(ZAR 442), 2012: $33(ZAR 601), 2013: $36(ZAR 654), 2014: $38(ZAR 705), 2015: $42(ZAR 768), 2016: $45(ZAR 821), 2017: $45(ZAR 837), and 2018: $51(ZAR 947)

South Africa price changes: Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) 2010-2018
South Africa price changes Internet (60 Mbps or more, unlimited data, cable/ADSL) hikersbay.com

Have prices changed in clothing stores in South Africa in recent years?
For example, this is how the prices of jeans have changed in 2010: $28(ZAR 520), 2011: $34(ZAR 628), 2012: $34(ZAR 617), 2013: $33(ZAR 606), 2014: $36(ZAR 653), 2015: $37(ZAR 674), 2016: $39(ZAR 715), 2017: $38(ZAR 702), and 2018: $40(ZAR 737)

South Africa price changes: 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) 2010-2018
South Africa price changes 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) hikersbay.com

Do you want to learn more about different prices? See the following comparison:

jeans

$45 ($24 - $65)
15% is less expensive than in United States

cheese

$7 ($4.3 - $10.3)
by half less than in United States

tomatoes

$1.4 ($0.82 - $2.1)
71% is less expensive than in United States

renting a small apartment in the center

$448 ($272 - $815)
75% is less expensive than in United States

bread

$0.93 ($0.61 - $1.2)
74% is less expensive than in United States

Burger King or a similar bar

$4.3 ($3.8 - $5.4)
by half less than in United States