Finland vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Finland South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1615
$972
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3851
$2272
🏠 One person rent
$768
$492
🏘️ Family rent
$1330
$860
🍽️ Food expenses
$587
$276
🚐 Transport expenses
$94.8
$121
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2875
$1527
💸 GDP per capita
$53756
$6253
😃 Human freedom index
8.7
6.92
❤️ Life expectancy
81.2
61.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
87
41
🌐 English speaking %
70.2%
31%
🎓 Higher education
96
83
😀 Quality of life
90
37
🏙️ Population
5.61M
62M

The average cost of living in Finland ($1615) is 66% more expensive than in South Africa ($972). Finland ranked 27th vs 90th 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 1.6 months in South Africa. Ranked 14th and 124th 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
$14.7
$8.2
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$90.4
$35.1
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.9
$4.71
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$8.01
$2.23
 Cappuccino
$4.57
$2.03
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.87
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$774
$491
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$641
$357
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1458
$867
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1119
$678
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$78.2
$66.3
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$121
$102
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$22.5
$41.6
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.59%
11.47%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4889
$1199
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$3208
$888
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.44
$1.77
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$65.5
$53.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$20.4
$9.36
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$2.11
$1.32
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.27
$1.12
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.62
$0.99
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.52
$1.45
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.3
$2.48
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.37
$8.56
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.2
$5.09
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$21.2
$6.88
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.5
$1.57
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.92
$1.53
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.31
$1.5
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.09
$1.59
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.31
$1.39
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$1.41
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.13
$0.64
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$3.08
$1.37
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$14.9
$5.62
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.08
$1.37
🚬 Cigarette pack
$11.2
$2.94
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$13.7
$4.76
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.66
$3.55
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.88
$1.85
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.39
$1.31
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$45
$30.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$16.7
$6.65
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$91.5
$29.9
💇 Haircut, simple
$23.2
$6.65
👖 Brand Jeans
$86.5
$50.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$92.7
$91.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$316
$203
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$9041
$4974

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
$1936
676K
Espoo
$2023
315K
Tampere
$1527
255K
Vantaa
$1782
248K
Oulu
$1601
215K
Turku
$1591
202K
Jyvaskyla
$1466
148K
Joensuu
$1499
78.2K
Lahti
$1453
121K
Kuopio
$1414
124K
Hameenlinna
$1431
68.3K
Pori
$1325
83.2K
Rovaniemi
$1441
65.3K
Lappeenranta
$1378
73K
Kouvola
$1447
78.8K
Seinajoki
$1301
66.3K
Vaasa
$1446
69K
Lohja
$1363
45.6K
Mikkeli
$1389
51.9K
Salo
$1571
51.1K
Tuusula
$1570
41.5K
Nurmijarvi
$1562
44.8K
Kokkola
$1384
48.3K
Jarvenpaa
$1631
46.5K
Nokia
$1499
35.7K
Kaarina
$1546
36.4K
Porvoo
$1453
51.5K
Kerava
$1532
38.2K
Ylojarvi
$1496
33.7K
Kajaani
$1410
36.5K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1079
4.43M
Cape Town
$1120
3.78M
Soweto
$971
1.27M
Pretoria
$909
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$674
839K
Rustenburg
$943
550K
Durban
$834
595K
Randburg
$874
337K
Centurion
$838
237K
East London
$703
267K
Sandton
$997
222K
Port Elizabeth
$970
312K
Benoni
$822
159K
Kroonstad
$788
169K
Springs
$696
122K
Klerksdorp
$689
187K
Kimberley
$859
225K
Bloemfontein
$696
256K
Paarl
$850
112K
Vereeniging
$717
99K
Vanderbijlpark
$768
95.8K
Mthatha
$862
96.1K
Potchefstroom
$717
149K
Uitenhage
$901
104K
Komani
$953
68.9K
George
$790
157K
Middelburg
$841
87.3K
Bethal
$819
60.8K
Upington
$741
121K
Brits
$848
53.5K