Canada vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Canada South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1980
$924
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4423
$2166
🏠 One person rent
$1179
$470
🏘️ Family rent
$1939
$833
🍽️ Food expenses
$550
$264
🚐 Transport expenses
$124
$111
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2816
$1385
💸 GDP per capita
$53431
$6023
😃 Human freedom index
8.74
7.1
❤️ Life expectancy
81.3
61.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
75
41
🌐 English speaking %
82.1%
31%
🎓 Higher education
99
82
😀 Quality of life
87
36
🏙️ Population
37M
62M

The average cost of living in Canada ($1980) is 114% more expensive than in South Africa ($924). Canada ranked 15th vs 94th 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 1.5 months in South Africa. Ranked 17th and 132nd 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
$15.9
$8.19
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$65.6
$33.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.3
$4.58
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$5.32
$2.27
 Cappuccino
$3.71
$1.94
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.96
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1170
$462
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1009
$339
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$2026
$835
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1688
$654
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$84.9
$67.6
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$131
$104
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$52.7
$38.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
6.39%
11.55%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5833
$1135
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4502
$830
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.49
$1.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$81.3
$47.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$16.2
$9.18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.12
$1.22
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.17
$1.09
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.46
$0.95
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.16
$1.39
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.37
$2.38
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.1
$8.21
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.5
$4.78
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.5
$6.58
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.82
$1.51
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.34
$1.43
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.58
$1.45
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.81
$1.52
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.38
$1.27
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.42
$1.29
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.12
$0.61
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.07
$1.32
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13
$5.35
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.69
$1.32
🚬 Cigarette pack
$12.7
$2.85
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.1
$4.47
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.54
$3.31
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.86
$1.75
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.28
$1.24
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39
$29.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$11.1
$6.24
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$74.4
$28
💇 Haircut, simple
$17
$5.66
👖 Brand Jeans
$53.8
$47.5
👟 Brand Sneakers
$86.3
$89.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$774
$187
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12417
$4572

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
$2453
2.79M
Montreal
$1857
1.8M
Calgary
$2077
1.31M
Ottawa
$2055
1.02M
Edmonton
$1769
1.01M
Mississauga
$2370
718K
Vancouver
$2488
662K
Winnipeg
$1777
750K
Brampton
$1946
656K
Hamilton
$2017
569K
Surrey
$2280
568K
Quebec City
$1644
549K
Halifax
$2086
440K
London
$1936
422K
Markham
$2291
339K
Laval
$1900
438K
Vaughan
$2267
323K
Gatineau
$1768
291K
Burnaby
$2495
249K
Kitchener
$2056
257K
Longueuil
$1835
254K
Burlington
$2185
187K
Saskatoon
$1786
266K
Windsor
$1694
230K
Richmond
$2093
210K
Oakville
$2142
214K
Richmond Hill
$2447
202K
Regina
$1540
226K
Oshawa
$1554
175K
Sherbrooke
$1395
175K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$993
4.43M
Cape Town
$1071
3.78M
Soweto
$923
1.27M
Pretoria
$906
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$640
839K
Rustenburg
$889
550K
Durban
$809
595K
Randburg
$837
337K
Centurion
$807
237K
Sandton
$953
222K
East London
$766
267K
Port Elizabeth
$901
312K
Benoni
$785
159K
Kroonstad
$768
169K
Springs
$678
122K
Kimberley
$814
225K
Klerksdorp
$722
187K
Bloemfontein
$657
256K
Vanderbijlpark
$773
95.8K
Mthatha
$852
96.1K
Paarl
$1147
112K
Potchefstroom
$695
149K
Uitenhage
$840
104K
Komani
$915
68.9K
George
$743
157K
Vereeniging
$672
99K
Middelburg
$795
87.3K
Bethal
$784
60.8K
Upington
$699
121K
Brits
$820
53.5K