Canada vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Canada South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$2053
$989
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4565
$2229
🏠 One person rent
$1222
$504
🏘️ Family rent
$1991
$804
🍽️ Food expenses
$572
$282
🚐 Transport expenses
$128
$120
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2878
$1411
💸 GDP per capita
$54283
$6253
😃 Human freedom index
8.74
7.1
❤️ Life expectancy
81.6
66.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
75
41
🌐 English speaking %
82.1%
31%
🎓 Higher education
99
82
😀 Quality of life
89
38
🏙️ Population
37M
62M

The average cost of living in Canada ($2053) is 108% more expensive than in South Africa ($989). Canada ranked 17th vs 95th 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 1.4 months in South Africa. Ranked 17th and 127th 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
$9.07
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$67.1
$37
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.8
$4.78
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$5.56
$2.33
 Cappuccino
$3.85
$2.05
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.03
$1.08
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1209
$502
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1047
$367
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2108
$878
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1772
$722
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$87.1
$70
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$134
$107
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$55
$40
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
6.01%
11.49%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5989
$1157
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4627
$866
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.6
$1.83
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$84.8
$51.9
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$16.6
$9.78
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.13
$1.23
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.29
$1.14
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.54
$0.99
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.34
$1.51
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.51
$2.43
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.6
$8.59
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.1
$4.91
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$15.2
$6.98
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.04
$1.57
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.41
$1.53
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.67
$1.57
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.88
$1.56
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.46
$1.27
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.5
$1.37
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.15
$0.65
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.18
$1.42
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13.5
$5.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.77
$1.35
🚬 Cigarette pack
$13.3
$2.92
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.74
$4.99
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.83
$3.58
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$3
$1.83
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.29
$1.32
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$41.2
$31.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$11.6
$6.53
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$77.4
$29.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$17.9
$6.4
👖 Brand Jeans
$55.3
$50.9
👟 Brand Sneakers
$88.3
$94.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$798
$196
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12357
$4764

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
$2560
2.79M
Montreal
$1924
1.8M
Calgary
$2136
1.31M
Ottawa
$2111
1.02M
Edmonton
$1865
1.01M
Mississauga
$2437
718K
Vancouver
$2517
662K
Winnipeg
$1876
750K
Brampton
$2052
656K
Quebec City
$1689
549K
Hamilton
$2119
569K
Surrey
$2380
568K
Halifax
$2169
440K
Markham
$2329
339K
London
$2004
422K
Laval
$1965
438K
Vaughan
$2309
323K
Gatineau
$1842
291K
Burnaby
$2457
249K
Kitchener
$2142
257K
Saskatoon
$1857
266K
Burlington
$2280
187K
Richmond
$2236
210K
Windsor
$2025
230K
Oakville
$2420
214K
Longueuil
$1879
254K
Richmond Hill
$2535
202K
Regina
$1671
226K
Oshawa
$1604
175K
Guelph
$2042
144K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1055
4.43M
Cape Town
$1185
3.78M
Soweto
$958
1.27M
Pretoria
$954
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$699
839K
Durban
$869
595K
Rustenburg
$925
550K
Randburg
$870
337K
Centurion
$870
237K
Sandton
$916
222K
East London
$821
267K
Port Elizabeth
$1002
312K
Benoni
$808
159K
Kroonstad
$794
169K
Kimberley
$853
225K
George
$836
157K
Klerksdorp
$752
187K
Bloemfontein
$685
256K
Vanderbijlpark
$786
95.8K
Mthatha
$900
96.1K
Paarl
$1215
112K
Springs
$733
122K
Vereeniging
$697
99K
Potchefstroom
$724
149K
Komani
$972
68.9K
Uitenhage
$922
104K
Middelburg
$819
87.3K
Upington
$733
121K
Worcester
$649
97.1K
Bethal
$817
60.8K