Finland vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

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Livingcost

Finland South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1537
$815
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3664
$1899
🏠 One person rent
$740
$407
🏘️ Family rent
$1287
$697
🍽️ Food expenses
$547
$237
🚐 Transport expenses
$91.5
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2787
$1312
💸 GDP per capita
$50916
$6766
😃 Human freedom index
8.7
6.92
❤️ Life expectancy
81.9
62.3
👮 Corruption perceptions index
87
41
🌐 English speaking %
70.2%
31%
🎓 Higher education
96
83
😀 Quality of life
91
41
🏙️ Population
5.52M
60.1M

The average cost of living in Finland ($1537) is 89% more expensive than in South Africa ($815). Finland ranked 31st 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 1.8 months in Finland compared to 1.6 months in South Africa. Ranked 13th and 121st 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
$13.9
$6.88
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$85.8
$31.6
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10
$4.04
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$7.56
$1.92
 Cappuccino
$4.33
$1.71
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.6
$0.9
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$747
$394
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$611
$283
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1382
$620
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1084
$543
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$78.4
$63.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$120
$97.9
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$22.3
$38.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.07%
11.09%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4534
$790
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$3055
$670
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.39
$1.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$63.8
$46.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$19.9
$9.2
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$2.17
$1.17
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.19
$1.01
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.5
$0.85
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.31
$1.21
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.09
$2.02
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.07
$7.09
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.6
$4.29
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$19.6
$6.07
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.39
$1.37
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.83
$1.33
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.3
$1.24
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.87
$1.37
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.24
$1.17
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.73
$1.28
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.06
$0.56
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$3.15
$1.21
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$13.8
$5.02
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.84
$1.13
🚬 Cigarette pack
$10.7
$2.6
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$12.5
$3.84
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.65
$3.16
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.87
$1.59
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.18
$0.99
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$43
$25.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$16.2
$5.61
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$90
$25
💇 Haircut, simple
$22.8
$5.4
👖 Brand Jeans
$81.7
$43
👟 Brand Sneakers
$85.5
$78.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$337
$188
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$7553
$3937

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
$1825
665K
Espoo
$1907
297K
Tampere
$1521
225K
Oulu
$1484
201K
Turku
$1532
188K
Vantaa
$1736
215K
Jyvaskyla
$1475
141K
Lahti
$1396
118K
Pori
$1262
85.4K
Kuopio
$1363
122K
Hameenlinna
$1317
68K
Joensuu
$1403
75.5K
Kouvola
$1376
85.9K
Lappeenranta
$1358
72.9K
Rovaniemi
$1423
62.4K
Vaasa
$1359
67.6K
Seinajoki
$1256
64.2K
Lohja
$1257
46.8K
Mikkeli
$1330
54.7K
Salo
$1336
53K
Porvoo
$1277
49.9K
Hyvinkaa
$1291
46.7K
Kokkola
$1315
47.6K
Nurmijarvi
$1499
42.7K
Tuusula
$1498
38.6K
Kotka
$1349
53.5K
Kajaani
$1328
37.6K
Nokia
$1462
33.3K
Kerava
$1491
35.3K
Rauma
$1265
39.8K

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