Cost of living comparison
South Africa is 46.8% cheaper than Houston.
- Restaurants
-
pay 55.6% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 41.2% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 13.8% less in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 58.0% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 85.3% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 54.9% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 18.8% less in South Africa
Expenses including childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing are lower in South Africa.
If you lived in South Africa instead of Houston, you would:
pay 55.6% less for restaurants
|
Houston
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.00
|
$8.97
ZAR167.89
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.00
|
$4.77
ZAR89.27
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.53
|
$0.95
ZAR17.86
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$0.74
ZAR13.87
|
|
pay 41.2% less for groceries
|
Houston
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.97
|
$0.99
ZAR18.54
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.39
|
$3.67
ZAR68.77
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.43
|
$4.20
ZAR78.56
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.53
|
$2.23
ZAR41.67
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.15
|
$2.03
ZAR37.95
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.99
|
$0.68
ZAR12.67
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.58
|
$0.62
ZAR11.55
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.72
|
$0.64
ZAR12.01
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
|
$0.70
ZAR13.07
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$0.55
ZAR10.36
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$0.61
ZAR11.39
|
|
pay 13.8% less for transportation
|
Houston
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$4.99
ZAR93.35
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$52.31
ZAR978.84
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,278.39
|
$20,607.77
ZAR385,612.54
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.79
|
$8.55
ZAR159.97
|
|
pay 58.0% less for housing
|
Houston
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.71
|
$41.37
ZAR774.11
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,582.84
|
$382.55
ZAR7,158.34
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,189.12
|
$326.35
ZAR6,106.61
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$148.41
|
$80.40
ZAR1,504.41
|
|
pay 85.3% less for childcare
|
Houston
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,457.58
|
$174.12
ZAR3,258.07
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,000.00
|
$4,033.53
ZAR75,475.36
|
|
pay 54.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Houston
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$2.11
ZAR39.44
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.27
|
$1.88
ZAR35.23
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.97
|
$2.90
ZAR54.34
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$39.65
|
$29.50
ZAR552.01
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$6.62
ZAR123.89
|
|
pay 18.8% less for clothing
|
Houston
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.14
|
$47.72
ZAR892.85
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.00
|
$32.06
ZAR599.89
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$103.28
|
$90.39
ZAR1,691.36
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$132.12
|
$81.37
ZAR1,522.54
|
|
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Africa or Houston. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.