Cost of living in South Africa
We track 302 everyday prices in South Africa, quoted in ZAR across 20 cities. Each item shows a low, typical and high figure so you can tell a fair price from an overcharge instead of guessing from a single average.
Dining prices in South Africa
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inexpensive restaurant meal (per person) | R70 | R100 | R150 |
| Mid-range restaurant for 2 (per meal) | R400 | R500 | R700 |
| Cappuccino (per cup) | R35 | R40 | R50 |
| Inexpensive restaurant meal (per person) | R60 | R80 | R120 |
| Mid-range restaurant for 2 (per meal) | R400 | R500 | R700 |
| Cappuccino (per cup) | R35 | R40 | R50 |
Transport prices in South Africa
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local transit one-way (per ride) | R10 | R15 | R25 |
| Taxi 5 km (per trip) | R60 | R80 | R100 |
| Gasoline (1 L) (per litre) | R23 | R25 | R27 |
| Local transit one-way (per ride) | R15 | R20 | R30 |
| Taxi 5 km (per trip) | R70 | R80 | R100 |
| Gasoline (1 L) (per litre) | R24 | R25 | R26 |
Utilities prices in South Africa
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities (85m² apt monthly) (per month) | R1,200 | R1,800 | R2,500 |
| Internet 60Mbps unlimited (per month) | R500 | R700 | R1,000 |
| Utilities (85m² apt monthly) (per month) | R1,200 | R1,800 | R2,500 |
| Internet 60Mbps unlimited (per month) | R500 | R700 | R1,000 |
Rent prices in South Africa
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-bed apt in city centre (per month) | R9,000 | R12,000 | R18,000 |
| 1-bed apt outside centre (per month) | R6,000 | R8,000 | R12,000 |
| 1-bed apt in city centre (per month) | R6,000 | R8,000 | R12,000 |
| 1-bed apt outside centre (per month) | R4,500 | R6,000 | R8,000 |
Macro prices in South Africa
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | R3,816 | R3,816 | R3,816 |
| GDP per capita PPP (current intl $) (USD) | R15,456 | R15,456 | R15,456 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | R3,816 | R3,816 | R3,816 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | R3,816 | R3,816 | R3,816 |
| GDP per capita PPP (current intl $) (USD) | R15,456 | R15,456 | R15,456 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | R3,816 | R3,816 | R3,816 |
| GDP per capita PPP (current intl $) (USD) | R15,456 | R15,456 | R15,456 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | R3,816 | R3,816 | R3,816 |
| GDP per capita PPP (current intl $) (USD) | R15,456 | R15,456 | R15,456 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
| Consumer Price Index (2010=100) (index) | R203 | R203 | R203 |
| Household consumption per capita (constant 2015 USD) (USD/yr) | R3,816 | R3,816 | R3,816 |
| GDP per capita PPP (current intl $) (USD) | R15,456 | R15,456 | R15,456 |
| PPP conversion factor (LCU per USD) | R7 | R7 | R7 |
Groceries prices in South Africa
| Item | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milk (1 L) (per litre) | R18 | R20 | R25 |
| Bread loaf (500g) (per loaf) | R15 | R18 | R22 |
| Eggs (12) (dozen) | R35 | R40 | R48 |
| Chicken breast (1 kg) (per kg) | R60 | R75 | R90 |
| Rice (1 kg) (per kg) | R20 | R25 | R30 |
| Milk (1 L) (per litre) | R18 | R20 | R25 |
| Bread loaf (500g) (per loaf) | R15 | R18 | R22 |
| Eggs (12) (dozen) | R35 | R40 | R48 |
| Chicken breast (1 kg) (per kg) | R60 | R70 | R85 |
| Rice (1 kg) (per kg) | R20 | R25 | R30 |
How to use these numbers
Treat the typical column as the local going rate, not a promise. Anything at or below the low column is a good deal in South Africa; anything above the high column deserves a second quote or a look at the line items. Tourist districts, airport locations and same-day service routinely price 20–40% above these figures, which is where most overcharges hide.
If you already have a bill, quote or invoice from South Africa, run it through our free bill analyzer — it reads each line and flags the items that sit outside the local range. You can also check a single price or compare two cities side by side.
Where this data comes from
Figures are compiled from published rate cards, official statistics, retailer and utility pricing, and crowd-reported receipts, then reconciled into a low / typical / high band per item. We show a band rather than one number because scope, brand and neighbourhood move real prices more than the city average does. Nothing on this page is invented by a language model, and each figure is refreshed as new data lands.
Cities in South Africa
- Cost of living in Johannesburg
- Cost of living in Cape Town
- Cost of living in Durban
- Cost of living in Pretoria
- Cost of living in Port Elizabeth
- Cost of living in Bloemfontein
- Cost of living in East London
- Cost of living in Pietermaritzburg
- Cost of living in Soweto
- Cost of living in Polokwane
- Cost of living in Nelspruit
- Cost of living in Kimberley
- Cost of living in Stellenbosch
- Cost of living in George
- Cost of living in Rustenburg
- Cost of living in Witbank
- Cost of living in Welkom
- Cost of living in Centurion
- Cost of living in Sandton
- Cost of living in Somerset West
How FairPriceGuru works
FairPriceGuru is a free consumer price-fairness service. We benchmark what things actually cost, then let you check your own bill, quote or invoice against those benchmarks. Every price we quote is tied to a named source, we do not accept payment to change a verdict, and none of our tools require an account.
Start with the free tools hub, run a document through the bill analyzer, or read our methodology.