Finland vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Finland South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1521
$924
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3634
$2166
🏠 One person rent
$719
$470
🏘️ Family rent
$1248
$833
🍽️ Food expenses
$556
$264
🚐 Transport expenses
$89.3
$111
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2732
$1385
💸 GDP per capita
$52926
$6023
😃 Human freedom index
8.84
7.1
❤️ Life expectancy
81.2
61.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
88
41
🌐 English speaking %
70.2%
31%
🎓 Higher education
97
82
😀 Quality of life
90
36
🏙️ Population
5.61M
62M

The average cost of living in Finland ($1521) is 65% more expensive than in South Africa ($924). Finland ranked 30th 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 1.8 months in Finland compared to 1.5 months in South Africa. Ranked 14th and 132nd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Finland vs South Africa infographic

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Prices in Finland vs South Africa

We calculate prices for Finland and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 49 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.

Finland South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$13.7
$8.19
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$81.7
$33.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.8
$4.58
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$7.51
$2.27
 Cappuccino
$4.42
$1.94
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.63
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$726
$462
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$601
$339
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1369
$835
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1054
$654
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$71.2
$67.6
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$110
$104
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$21.7
$38.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.67%
11.55%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4844
$1135
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$3155
$830
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.19
$1.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$61.6
$47.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$19.1
$9.18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.94
$1.22
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.22
$1.09
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.5
$0.95
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.32
$1.39
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.15
$2.38
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.89
$8.21
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.7
$4.78
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$20.1
$6.58
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.32
$1.51
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.87
$1.43
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.13
$1.45
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.87
$1.52
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.25
$1.27
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.71
$1.29
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.14
$0.61
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.93
$1.32
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$14.2
$5.35
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.97
$1.32
🚬 Cigarette pack
$10.7
$2.85
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$13.1
$4.47
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.42
$3.31
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.82
$1.75
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.27
$1.24
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$41.6
$29.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$16.1
$6.24
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$85.5
$28
💇 Haircut, simple
$21.8
$5.66
👖 Brand Jeans
$84.1
$47.5
👟 Brand Sneakers
$88.4
$89.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$307
$187
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$8342
$4572

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Finland vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Finland

City Cost of living Population
Helsinki
$1816
676K
Espoo
$1879
315K
Tampere
$1464
255K
Turku
$1495
202K
Oulu
$1475
215K
Vantaa
$1671
248K
Jyvaskyla
$1445
148K
Joensuu
$1471
78.2K
Kuopio
$1382
124K
Hameenlinna
$1309
68.3K
Lahti
$1398
121K
Pori
$1239
83.2K
Rovaniemi
$1380
65.3K
Lappeenranta
$1295
73K
Kouvola
$1355
78.8K
Vaasa
$1372
69K
Seinajoki
$1225
66.3K
Lohja
$1220
45.6K
Mikkeli
$1308
51.9K
Salo
$1396
51.1K
Tuusula
$1509
41.5K
Kokkola
$1307
48.3K
Nurmijarvi
$1479
44.8K
Nokia
$1432
35.7K
Kaarina
$1450
36.4K
Jarvenpaa
$1533
46.5K
Ylojarvi
$1426
33.7K
Kerava
$1486
38.2K
Porvoo
$1327
51.5K
Kotka
$1286
50.5K

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