China vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

China South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$656
$924
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1847
$2166
🏠 One person rent
$279
$470
🏘️ Family rent
$535
$833
🍽️ Food expenses
$228
$264
🚐 Transport expenses
$70.2
$111
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$843
$1385
💸 GDP per capita
$12614
$6023
😃 Human freedom index
4.93
7.1
❤️ Life expectancy
78.6
61.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
43
41
🌐 English speaking %
0.7%
31%
🎓 Higher education
91
82
😀 Quality of life
48
36
🏙️ Population
1.44B
62M

The average cost of living in China ($656) is 29% less expensive than in South Africa ($924). China ranked 153rd 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 1.3 months in China compared to 1.5 months in South Africa. Ranked 82nd and 132nd 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

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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
$3.26
$8.19
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$21.4
$33.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.96
$4.58
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.27
$2.27
 Cappuccino
$3.03
$1.94
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.48
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$307
$462
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$213
$339
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$637
$835
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$427
$654
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$35.3
$67.6
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$54.2
$104
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$12
$38.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.2%
11.55%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4438
$1135
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$2622
$830
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.35
$1.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$20.9
$47.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$3.98
$9.18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.12
$1.22
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.77
$1.09
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.55
$0.95
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.98
$1.39
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.59
$2.38
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.3
$8.21
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.34
$4.78
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$10.9
$6.58
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.68
$1.51
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.24
$1.43
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.47
$1.45
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.21
$1.52
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.76
$1.27
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$0.9
$1.29
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.37
$0.61
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.18
$1.32
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.9
$5.35
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.8
$1.32
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.27
$2.85
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.77
$4.47
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.5
$3.31
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.42
$1.75
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.62
$1.24
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$39.5
$29.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.06
$6.24
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$32.5
$28
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.45
$5.66
👖 Brand Jeans
$50.5
$47.5
👟 Brand Sneakers
$73
$89.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$407
$187
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17132
$4572

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
Shanghai
$1097
24.9M
Beijing
$1016
21.9M
Shenzhen
$916
17.7M
Chongqing
$634
32.1M
Hong Kong
$2737
7.41M
Guangzhou
$774
18.7M
Chengdu
$623
20.9M
Suzhou
$868
12.7M
Hangzhou
$805
11.9M
Tianjin
$687
13.9M
Xi'an
$587
13M
Wuhan
$656
12.3M
Baoding
$472
11.5M
Wuxi
$670
7.46M
Xuzhou
$484
9.08M
Jinhua
$587
7.05M
Nantong
$602
7.73M
Hefei
$625
9.37M
Nanjing
$746
9.31M
Qingdao
$612
10.1M
Bijie
$584
6.9M
Zhengzhou
$512
12.6M
Changchun
$573
9.07M
Ganzhou
$761
8.97M
Pudong
$984
5.68M
Guiyang
$559
5.99M
Changsha
$577
10M
Quanzhou
$644
8.78M
Dongguan
$656
10.5M
Wenzhou
$726
9.57M

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