Cost of living comparison
Belgium is 2.1 times more expensive than South Africa.
If you lived in Belgium instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 2.7 times more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.97
ZAR164.35
|
$19.07
€18.29
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.77
ZAR87.39
|
$10.84
€10.39
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.95
ZAR17.48
|
$2.78
€2.66
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
ZAR13.57
|
$2.46
€2.36
|
|
pay 65.3% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.99
ZAR18.15
|
$2.28
€2.18
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.67
ZAR67.32
|
$6.70
€6.42
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.20
ZAR76.91
|
$4.44
€4.26
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.23
ZAR40.79
|
$3.43
€3.29
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.03
ZAR37.15
|
$4.78
€4.58
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR12.40
|
$1.11
€1.06
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
ZAR11.31
|
$0.89
€0.86
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR11.76
|
$1.07
€1.03
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
ZAR12.80
|
$1.16
€1.11
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.55
ZAR10.14
|
$0.83
€0.80
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.61
ZAR11.15
|
$0.73
€0.70
|
|
pay 66.0% more for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.99
ZAR91.38
|
$6.91
€6.63
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$52.31
ZAR958.24
|
$45.41
€43.54
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,607.77
ZAR377,497.20
|
$27,628.35
€26,489.31
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.55
ZAR156.60
|
$26.01
€24.94
|
|
pay 85.0% more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.37
ZAR757.81
|
$49.35
€47.32
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$382.55
ZAR7,007.69
|
$815.11
€781.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$326.35
ZAR5,978.10
|
$705.09
€676.02
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$80.40
ZAR1,472.75
|
$154.10
€147.75
|
|
pay 3.3 times more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$174.12
ZAR3,189.50
|
$557.50
€534.51
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,033.53
ZAR73,886.96
|
$13,740.85
€13,174.36
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.11
ZAR38.61
|
$4.34
€4.16
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.88
ZAR34.49
|
$3.51
€3.36
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.90
ZAR53.20
|
$9.08
€8.71
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$29.50
ZAR540.40
|
$36.02
€34.54
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.62
ZAR121.29
|
$12.48
€11.96
|
|
pay 61.1% more for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Belgium
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.72
ZAR874.06
|
$92.82
€88.99
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.06
ZAR587.26
|
$43.31
€41.52
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.39
ZAR1,655.76
|
$90.40
€86.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.37
ZAR1,490.50
|
$125.11
€119.95
|
|
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