Cost of living comparison
South Africa is 34.3% more expensive than China.
If you lived in South Africa instead of China, you would:
pay 2.1 times more for restaurants
China
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.85
CN¥20.68
|
$8.97
ZAR162.53
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.07
CN¥36.69
|
$4.77
ZAR86.42
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.49
CN¥3.54
|
$0.95
ZAR17.29
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.30
CN¥2.18
|
$0.74
ZAR13.42
|
|
pay 10.0% more for groceries
China
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.59
CN¥11.53
|
$0.99
ZAR17.94
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
CN¥42.37
|
$3.67
ZAR66.57
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.86
CN¥49.69
|
$4.20
ZAR76.06
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.60
CN¥11.56
|
$2.23
ZAR40.34
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.54
CN¥11.16
|
$2.03
ZAR36.74
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$0.76
CN¥5.52
|
$0.68
ZAR12.26
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.57
CN¥4.15
|
$0.62
ZAR11.18
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.65
CN¥4.74
|
$0.64
ZAR11.63
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.52
CN¥3.79
|
$0.70
ZAR12.65
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.32
CN¥2.32
|
$0.55
ZAR10.03
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$0.40
CN¥2.90
|
$0.61
ZAR11.03
|
|
pay 67.0% more for transportation
China
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.44
CN¥32.19
|
$4.99
ZAR90.37
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$22.47
CN¥162.75
|
$52.31
ZAR947.63
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,071.53
CN¥138,135.12
|
$20,607.77
ZAR373,316.13
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$3.97
CN¥28.79
|
$8.55
ZAR154.86
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for housing
China
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$11.70
CN¥84.71
|
$41.37
ZAR749.42
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$328.33
CN¥2,378.10
|
$382.55
ZAR6,930.08
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$205.78
CN¥1,490.47
|
$326.35
ZAR5,911.89
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$40.46
CN¥293.04
|
$80.40
ZAR1,456.44
|
|
pay 70.0% less for childcare
China
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$459.70
CN¥3,329.59
|
$174.12
ZAR3,154.17
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,318.08
CN¥132,677.85
|
$4,033.53
ZAR73,068.60
|
|
pay 5.5% more for entertainment and sports
China
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.09
CN¥7.90
|
$2.11
ZAR38.19
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.07
CN¥22.22
|
$1.88
ZAR34.11
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.23
CN¥23.42
|
$2.90
ZAR52.61
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.41
CN¥299.92
|
$29.50
ZAR534.41
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.93
CN¥42.92
|
$6.62
ZAR119.94
|
|
pay 8.1% more for clothing
China
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$48.23
CN¥349.29
|
$47.72
ZAR864.38
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$31.67
CN¥229.39
|
$32.06
ZAR580.76
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$72.53
CN¥525.31
|
$90.39
ZAR1,637.42
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$75.53
CN¥547.10
|
$81.37
ZAR1,473.99
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Africa or China. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.