Canada vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Canada South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$2042
$815
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4548
$1899
🏠 One person rent
$1225
$407
🏘️ Family rent
$1996
$697
🍽️ Food expenses
$557
$237
🚐 Transport expenses
$130
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2938
$1312
💸 GDP per capita
$54918
$6766
😃 Human freedom index
8.55
6.92
❤️ Life expectancy
82.6
62.3
👮 Corruption perceptions index
76
41
🌐 English speaking %
82.1%
31%
🎓 Higher education
99
83
😀 Quality of life
90
41
🏙️ Population
37M
60.1M

The average cost of living in Canada ($2042) is 150% more expensive than in South Africa ($815). Canada ranked 14th vs 107th 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 1.4 months in Canada compared to 1.6 months in South Africa. Ranked 15th and 121st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Canada vs South Africa infographic

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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
$15.6
$6.88
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$66.9
$31.6
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.1
$4.04
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$5.57
$1.92
 Cappuccino
$3.72
$1.71
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.05
$0.9
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1185
$394
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1044
$283
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2058
$620
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1718
$543
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$97.1
$63.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$149
$97.9
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$55.8
$38.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
6.8%
11.09%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$7111
$790
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5230
$670
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.57
$1.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$84.2
$46.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$17.7
$9.2
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.17
$1.17
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.11
$1.01
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.44
$0.85
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.39
$1.21
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.41
$2.02
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.5
$7.09
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12
$4.29
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.7
$6.07
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.89
$1.37
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.37
$1.33
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.58
$1.24
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.8
$1.37
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.28
$1.17
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.44
$1.28
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.15
$0.56
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.08
$1.21
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13.2
$5.02
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.77
$1.13
🚬 Cigarette pack
$12.5
$2.6
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.37
$3.84
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.66
$3.16
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.92
$1.59
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.36
$0.99
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.7
$25.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$11.5
$5.61
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$74.1
$25
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.8
$5.4
👖 Brand Jeans
$58
$43
👟 Brand Sneakers
$89.1
$78.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$819
$188
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$13520
$3937

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
$2576
2.79M
Montreal
$1821
1.76M
Calgary
$2113
1.31M
Edmonton
$1732
1.01M
Ottawa
$2170
1.02M
Mississauga
$2600
722K
Vancouver
$2564
662K
Hamilton
$2244
569K
Winnipeg
$1714
705K
Brampton
$2128
594K
Surrey
$2407
518K
Quebec City
$1658
549K
London
$2067
422K
Markham
$2358
329K
Laval
$1874
438K
Halifax
$2159
440K
Vaughan
$2390
306K
Burnaby
$2595
233K
Gatineau
$1530
291K
Burlington
$2293
183K
Kitchener
$2084
233K
Longueuil
$1962
254K
Saskatoon
$1858
246K
Oakville
$2192
194K
Oshawa
$1598
159K
Richmond
$2255
198K
Richmond Hill
$2622
195K
Windsor
$1790
217K
Regina
$1526
215K
Kingston
$1412
124K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$908
4.43M
Soweto
$875
1.27M
Pretoria
$783
742K
Rustenburg
$845
550K
Cape Town
$881
434K
Randburg
$776
337K
Durban
$780
595K
Centurion
$755
237K
Sandton
$889
222K
Pietermaritzburg
$609
619K
East London
$683
267K
Port Elizabeth
$866
312K
Kimberley
$753
225K
Kroonstad
$701
169K
Benoni
$741
159K
Klerksdorp
$621
187K
Bloemfontein
$601
256K
Springs
$631
122K
Vereeniging
$637
99K
Paarl
$773
112K
Worcester
$632
97.1K
Potchefstroom
$625
149K
Vanderbijlpark
$698
95.8K
Uitenhage
$805
104K
George
$684
157K
Mthatha
$689
96.1K
Upington
$643
121K
Middelburg
$866
87.3K
Bethal
$746
60.8K
Brits
$751
53.5K