Cost of living comparison
India is 49.7% cheaper than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 56.9% less in India
- Groceries
-
pay 42.0% less in India
- Transportation
-
pay 47.0% less in India
- Housing
-
pay 70.2% less in India
- Childcare
-
pay 64.6% less in India
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 20.5% less in India
- Clothing
-
pay 46.6% less in India
Expenses including housing, childcare, restaurants, transportation, clothing, and groceries are lower in India.
If you lived in India instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 56.9% less for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.97
ZAR171.62
|
$2.40
₹206.35
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.77
ZAR91.25
|
$3.90
₹335.53
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.95
ZAR18.26
|
$0.40
₹34.06
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
ZAR14.17
|
$0.17
₹14.28
|
|
pay 42.0% less for groceries
|
South Africa
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.99
ZAR18.95
|
$0.46
₹39.60
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.67
ZAR70.30
|
$2.54
₹218.25
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.20
ZAR80.31
|
$2.56
₹220.06
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.23
ZAR42.60
|
$0.94
₹80.75
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.03
ZAR38.80
|
$1.37
₹117.44
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR12.95
|
$0.88
₹75.96
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
ZAR11.81
|
$0.32
₹27.89
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR12.28
|
$0.48
₹40.93
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
ZAR13.36
|
$0.24
₹20.74
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.55
ZAR10.59
|
$0.16
₹14.06
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.61
ZAR11.64
|
$0.19
₹16.13
|
|
pay 47.0% less for transportation
|
South Africa
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.99
ZAR95.43
|
$4.62
₹396.90
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$52.31
ZAR1,000.62
|
$10.12
₹870.37
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,607.77
ZAR394,192.37
|
$13,525.56
₹1,162,835.43
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.55
ZAR163.52
|
$2.94
₹252.65
|
|
pay 70.2% less for housing
|
South Africa
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.37
ZAR791.33
|
$7.39
₹634.93
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$382.55
ZAR7,317.62
|
$138.05
₹11,868.89
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$326.35
ZAR6,242.48
|
$90.33
₹7,766.14
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$80.40
ZAR1,537.88
|
$29.97
₹2,576.51
|
|
pay 64.6% less for childcare
|
South Africa
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$174.12
ZAR3,330.56
|
$55.73
₹4,791.17
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,033.53
ZAR77,154.68
|
$1,565.54
₹134,594.41
|
|
pay 20.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.11
ZAR40.32
|
$1.84
₹157.85
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.88
ZAR36.01
|
$1.59
₹136.39
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.90
ZAR55.55
|
$3.59
₹308.68
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$29.50
ZAR564.30
|
$15.33
₹1,318.02
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.62
ZAR126.65
|
$3.35
₹288.21
|
|
pay 46.6% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
India
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.72
ZAR912.71
|
$24.02
₹2,065.34
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.06
ZAR613.24
|
$25.36
₹2,180.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.39
ZAR1,728.99
|
$41.62
₹3,577.95
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.37
ZAR1,556.42
|
$31.12
₹2,675.19
|
|
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