Cost of living comparison

 Manila, Philippines
compared to
 Richards Bay, South Africa
Richards Bay vs. Manila Cost of Living Summary

Richards Bay is 26.9% more expensive than Manila.

Restaurants
pay 17.1% more in Richards Bay
Groceries
pay 40.8% less in Richards Bay
Transportation
pay 3.9 times more in Richards Bay
Housing
pay 8.6% more in Richards Bay
Childcare
pay 81.6% less in Richards Bay
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.6% less in Richards Bay
Clothing
pay 8.3% more in Richards Bay

The cost of transportation, restaurants, housing, and clothing in Richards Bay are more expensive than in Manila. Expenses including childcare, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Richards Bay. Notably, transportation is significantly more expensive in Richards Bay.

Richards Bay vs. Manila Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Richards Bay instead of Manila, you would:

pay 17.1% more for restaurants

 
Manila
Richards Bay
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $5.12
₱285.99
$6.82
ZAR121.21
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.26
₱238.33
$4.26
ZAR75.75
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.87
₱48.81
$0.89
ZAR15.80

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pay 40.8% less for groceries

 
Manila
Richards Bay
Bread
1 loaf
$1.35
₱75.58
$0.95
ZAR16.96
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.30
₱296.52
$3.47
ZAR61.79
Milk (1 gallon) $6.79
₱379.80
$3.60
ZAR64.04

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pay 3.9 times more for transportation

 
Manila
Richards Bay
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.14
₱231.54
$5.09
ZAR90.43
Monthly public transit pass $9.93
₱555.11
$96.56
ZAR1,717.09
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $25,575.45
₱1,429,961.59
$20,163.98
ZAR358,567.91

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pay 8.6% more for housing

 
Manila
Richards Bay
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$28.80
₱1,610.53
$36.67
ZAR652.16
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $468.88
₱26,215.91
$397.60
ZAR7,070.35
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $234.44
₱13,107.98
$298.20
ZAR5,302.76

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pay 81.6% less for childcare

 
Manila
Richards Bay
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $482.52
₱26,978.61
$92.30
ZAR1,641.33
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $14,127.39
₱789,883.55
$2,513.40
ZAR44,694.73

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pay 11.6% less for entertainment and sports

 
Manila
Richards Bay
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.36
₱76.26
$1.82
ZAR32.32
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.70
₱150.80
$1.81
ZAR32.22
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.07
₱171.60
$2.44
ZAR43.43

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pay 8.3% more for clothing

 
Manila
Richards Bay
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$33.31
₱1,862.54
$43.32
ZAR770.31
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$26.60
₱1,487.06
$19.12
ZAR340.05
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$74.03
₱4,138.86
$86.62
ZAR1,540.33

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2025
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