Cost of living comparison
South Africa is 50.2% cheaper than Washington.
If you lived in South Africa instead of Washington, you would:
pay 60.8% less for restaurants
|
Washington
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.67
|
$8.97
ZAR162.04
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.36
|
$4.77
ZAR86.16
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.69
|
$0.95
ZAR17.24
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.05
|
$0.74
ZAR13.38
|
|
pay 48.7% less for groceries
|
Washington
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.73
|
$0.99
ZAR17.89
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.70
|
$3.67
ZAR66.37
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.02
|
$4.20
ZAR75.83
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.61
|
$2.23
ZAR40.22
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.38
|
$2.03
ZAR36.63
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$0.68
ZAR12.23
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.79
|
$0.62
ZAR11.15
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$0.64
ZAR11.59
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.94
|
$0.70
ZAR12.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.21
|
$0.55
ZAR10.00
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.14
|
$0.61
ZAR10.99
|
|
pay 23.2% less for transportation
|
Washington
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.34
|
$4.99
ZAR90.10
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.97
|
$52.31
ZAR944.76
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,230.18
|
$20,607.77
ZAR372,187.40
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.60
|
$8.55
ZAR154.40
|
|
pay 58.8% less for housing
|
Washington
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.07
|
$41.37
ZAR747.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,678.49
|
$382.55
ZAR6,909.13
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,500.86
|
$326.35
ZAR5,894.01
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.02
|
$80.40
ZAR1,452.03
|
|
pay 86.8% less for childcare
|
Washington
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,651.91
|
$174.12
ZAR3,144.64
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,288.69
|
$4,033.53
ZAR72,847.68
|
|
pay 60.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Washington
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.59
|
$2.11
ZAR38.07
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.24
|
$1.88
ZAR34.00
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.62
|
$2.90
ZAR52.45
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$56.78
|
$29.50
ZAR532.80
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.67
|
$6.62
ZAR119.58
|
|
pay 12.5% less for clothing
|
Washington
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.46
|
$47.72
ZAR861.76
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.64
|
$32.06
ZAR579.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.80
|
$90.39
ZAR1,632.47
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$108.76
|
$81.37
ZAR1,469.53
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Africa or Washington. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.