China vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$679
$815
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1883
$1899
🏠 One person rent
$287
$407
🏘️ Family rent
$532
$697
🍽️ Food expenses
$238
$237
🚐 Transport expenses
$72.6
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$826
$1312
💸 GDP per capita
$12720
$6766
😃 Human freedom index
5.15
6.92
❤️ Life expectancy
78.2
62.3
👮 Corruption perceptions index
42
41
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
31%
🎓 Higher education
91
83
😀 Quality of life
50
41
🏙️ Population
1.44B
60.1M

The average cost of living in China ($679) is 17% less expensive than in South Africa ($815). China ranked 138th 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 1.2 months in China compared to 1.6 months in South Africa. Ranked 83rd and 121st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in China vs South Africa infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in China vs South Africa

We calculate prices for China and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 544 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.

China South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$3.65
$6.88
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.9
$31.6
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.05
$4.04
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.34
$1.92
 Cappuccino
$3.3
$1.71
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.48
$0.9
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$334
$394
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$214
$283
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$653
$620
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$416
$543
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$36.8
$63.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$56.6
$97.9
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$12.8
$38.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.73%
11.09%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5178
$790
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2803
$670
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.37
$1.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$21.7
$46.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$4.1
$9.2
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.16
$1.17
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.87
$1.01
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.52
$0.85
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.04
$1.21
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.71
$2.02
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.2
$7.09
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.69
$4.29
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.9
$6.07
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.67
$1.37
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.28
$1.33
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.55
$1.24
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.22
$1.37
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.8
$1.17
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.92
$1.28
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.4
$0.56
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.19
$1.21
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$12.5
$5.02
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.82
$1.13
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.23
$2.6
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.83
$3.84
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.55
$3.16
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.45
$1.59
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.64
$0.99
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$38.3
$25.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.98
$5.61
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.7
$25
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.51
$5.4
👖 Brand Jeans
$53.1
$43
👟 Brand Sneakers
$75.9
$78.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$444
$188
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$16225
$3937

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in China vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In China

City Cost of living Population
Beijing
$1065
21.9M
Shanghai
$1190
24.9M
Hong Kong
$2614
7.41M
Shenzhen
$939
17.5M
Chongqing
$712
32.1M
Guangzhou
$742
18.7M
Chengdu
$643
20.9M
Tianjin
$688
13.9M
Xi'an
$632
13M
Suzhou
$1020
12.7M
Hangzhou
$831
11.9M
Baoding
$466
11.5M
Wuhan
$646
12.3M
Wuxi
$687
7.46M
Foshan
$575
9.5M
Nanjing
$740
9.31M
Bijie
$606
6.9M
Dongguan
$589
10.5M
Hefei
$707
9.37M
Ganzhou
$812
8.97M
Changchun
$612
9.07M
Nantong
$651
7.73M
Qingdao
$653
10.1M
Jieyang
$716
6.09M
Changsha
$533
10M
Yantai
$749
7.1M
Zhengzhou
$506
12.6M
Guiyang
$564
5.99M
Ningbo
$677
9.4M
Kunming
$609
8.46M

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