Canada vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Canada South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$2076
$972
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4665
$2272
🏠 One person rent
$1239
$492
🏘️ Family rent
$2059
$860
🍽️ Food expenses
$573
$276
🚐 Transport expenses
$130
$121
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2944
$1527
💸 GDP per capita
$53372
$6253
😃 Human freedom index
8.55
6.92
❤️ Life expectancy
81.3
61.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
76
41
🌐 English speaking %
82.1%
31%
🎓 Higher education
99
83
😀 Quality of life
88
37
🏙️ Population
37M
62M

The average cost of living in Canada ($2076) is 114% more expensive than in South Africa ($972). Canada ranked 15th vs 90th 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 19th and 124th 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
$16.2
$8.2
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$69.9
$35.1
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.6
$4.71
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$5.73
$2.23
 Cappuccino
$3.92
$2.03
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.02
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1222
$491
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1060
$357
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2160
$867
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1790
$678
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$91.3
$66.3
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$140
$102
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$54.9
$41.6
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
6.55%
11.47%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6407
$1199
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4825
$888
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.6
$1.77
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$85.5
$53.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$16.9
$9.36
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.18
$1.32
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.21
$1.12
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.55
$0.99
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.31
$1.45
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.46
$2.48
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.9
$8.56
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.2
$5.09
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.8
$6.88
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.9
$1.57
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.41
$1.53
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.67
$1.5
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.85
$1.59
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.43
$1.39
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.5
$1.41
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.19
$0.64
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.16
$1.37
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13.5
$5.62
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.8
$1.37
🚬 Cigarette pack
$12.9
$2.94
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.75
$4.76
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.84
$3.55
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.81
$1.85
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.36
$1.31
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$41.2
$30.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$11.7
$6.65
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$76
$29.9
💇 Haircut, simple
$19.9
$6.65
👖 Brand Jeans
$56.8
$50.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$90.9
$91.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$832
$203
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$13109
$4974

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
$2575
2.79M
Montreal
$1954
1.76M
Calgary
$2149
1.31M
Ottawa
$2236
1.02M
Edmonton
$1785
1.01M
Mississauga
$2472
718K
Vancouver
$2650
662K
Winnipeg
$1754
750K
Brampton
$2127
656K
Hamilton
$2154
569K
Surrey
$2417
568K
Quebec City
$1791
549K
London
$2040
422K
Markham
$2398
339K
Halifax
$2196
440K
Burnaby
$2589
249K
Laval
$1996
438K
Vaughan
$2332
323K
Kitchener
$2144
257K
Gatineau
$1542
291K
Burlington
$2297
187K
Longueuil
$1896
254K
Saskatoon
$1793
266K
Windsor
$1793
230K
Richmond
$2220
210K
Oakville
$2266
214K
Oshawa
$1635
175K
Richmond Hill
$2618
202K
Regina
$1678
226K
Waterloo
$2095
121K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1079
4.43M
Cape Town
$1120
3.78M
Soweto
$971
1.27M
Pretoria
$909
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$674
839K
Rustenburg
$943
550K
Durban
$834
595K
Randburg
$874
337K
Centurion
$838
237K
East London
$703
267K
Sandton
$997
222K
Port Elizabeth
$970
312K
Benoni
$822
159K
Kroonstad
$788
169K
Springs
$696
122K
Klerksdorp
$689
187K
Kimberley
$859
225K
Bloemfontein
$696
256K
Paarl
$850
112K
Vereeniging
$717
99K
Vanderbijlpark
$768
95.8K
Mthatha
$862
96.1K
Potchefstroom
$717
149K
Uitenhage
$901
104K
Komani
$953
68.9K
George
$790
157K
Middelburg
$841
87.3K
Bethal
$819
60.8K
Upington
$741
121K
Brits
$848
53.5K