Canada vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Canada South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$2005
$1116
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4479
$2517
🏠 One person rent
$1185
$573
🏘️ Family rent
$1937
$928
🍽️ Food expenses
$565
$324
🚐 Transport expenses
$124
$125
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3044
$395
💸 GDP per capita
$54340
$6267
😃 Human freedom index
8.74
7.07
❤️ Life expectancy
81.6
66.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
75
41
🌐 English speaking %
82.1%
50.7%
🎓 Higher education
99
82
😀 Quality of life
91
38
🏙️ Population
41.3M
64M

The average cost of living in Canada ($2005) is 80% more expensive than in South Africa ($1116). Canada ranked 21st vs 79th for South Africa in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.5 months in Canada compared to 0.4 months in South Africa. Ranked 17th and 135th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Share this picture

Prices in Canada vs South Africa

We calculate prices for Canada and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 153 and 36 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

Canada South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$16.6
$10.6
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$66.2
$41.8
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.7
$5.7
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$5.63
$2.46
 Cappuccino
$3.87
$2.34
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.04
$1.2
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1176
$579
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1014
$417
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2056
$1059
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1715
$867
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$87.5
$95.7
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$134
$147
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$53.2
$39.7
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.68%
11.1%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5101
$1300
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4393
$937
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.59
$1.91
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$82.6
$60.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$15.7
$9.05
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.15
$1.34
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.24
$1.27
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.51
$1.12
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.11
$1.81
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.5
$2.6
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12
$8.53
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12
$5.69
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$15.3
$8.33
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.85
$1.94
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.41
$1.81
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.72
$1.88
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.8
$1.9
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.44
$1.55
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.33
$1.6
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.08
$0.81
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.17
$1.52
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13.2
$5.87
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.71
$1.61
🚬 Cigarette pack
$13.6
$3.26
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.55
$5.56
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.64
$3.89
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.93
$2.06
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.33
$1.38
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.2
$35.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$11.7
$7.85
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$75.3
$30.7
💇 Haircut, simple
$18.3
$7.32
👖 Brand Jeans
$55.7
$56.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$90.2
$107
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$759
$235
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$14602
$5552

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Canada vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Canada

City Cost of living Population
Toronto
$2415
2.79M
Montreal
$1901
1.9M
Calgary
$2095
1.31M
Ottawa
$2122
1.02M
Edmonton
$1835
1.01M
Vancouver
$2505
662K
Mississauga
$2308
718K
Winnipeg
$1842
750K
Brampton
$2102
656K
Surrey
$2091
568K
Hamilton
$2006
569K
Quebec City
$1648
574K
London
$1930
422K
Halifax
$2133
440K
Laval
$2058
451K
Markham
$2172
339K
Vaughan
$2233
323K
Burnaby
$2411
249K
Gatineau
$1839
298K
Kitchener
$2109
257K
Saskatoon
$1781
266K
Longueuil
$1874
262K
Windsor
$1927
230K
Oakville
$2318
214K
Richmond
$2247
210K
Burlington
$2214
187K
Richmond Hill
$2483
202K
Regina
$1739
226K
Oshawa
$1581
175K
Sherbrooke
$1421
181K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1204
4.8M
Cape Town
$1386
3.78M
Soweto
$1031
1.27M
Pretoria
$1015
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$725
619K
Durban
$938
595K
Rustenburg
$994
550K
Randburg
$912
337K
Port Elizabeth
$1020
312K
East London
$773
267K
Bloemfontein
$742
256K
Centurion
$997
237K
Kimberley
$904
225K
Sandton
$1104
222K
Klerksdorp
$860
187K
Kroonstad
$872
169K
Benoni
$851
159K
George
$877
157K
Potchefstroom
$789
149K
Upington
$796
121K
Springs
$784
122K
Paarl
$1421
112K
Uitenhage
$968
104K
Vereeniging
$742
99.8K
Vanderbijlpark
$867
95.8K
Worcester
$763
97.1K
Mthatha
$953
96.1K
Middelburg
$875
87.3K
Komani
$1033
68.9K
Makhanda
$863
67.3K