Germany vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1601
$924
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3915
$2166
🏠 One person rent
$853
$470
🏘️ Family rent
$1596
$833
🍽️ Food expenses
$501
$264
🚐 Transport expenses
$111
$111
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2931
$1385
💸 GDP per capita
$54343
$6023
😃 Human freedom index
8.67
7.1
❤️ Life expectancy
80.7
61.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
75
41
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
31%
🎓 Higher education
94
82
😀 Quality of life
91
36
🏙️ Population
84.4M
62M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1601) is 73% more expensive than in South Africa ($924). Germany ranked 23rd 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 Germany compared to 1.5 months in South Africa. Ranked 12th and 132nd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Germany vs South Africa infographic

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Prices in Germany vs South Africa

We calculate prices for Germany and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 662 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.

Germany South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$14.3
$8.19
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$65.3
$33.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.6
$4.58
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.51
$2.27
 Cappuccino
$3.56
$1.94
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.89
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$774
$462
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$593
$339
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1561
$835
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1204
$654
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$179
$67.6
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$276
$104
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$44.3
$38.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.94%
11.55%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5339
$1135
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4073
$830
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.24
$1.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$53.4
$47.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$23.5
$9.18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.82
$1.22
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.15
$1.09
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.98
$0.95
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.95
$1.39
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.43
$2.38
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.2
$8.21
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13
$4.78
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$18.1
$6.58
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.79
$1.51
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.61
$1.43
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.13
$1.45
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.26
$1.52
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.54
$1.27
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.56
$1.29
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.58
$0.61
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.97
$1.32
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.98
$5.35
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.98
$1.32
🚬 Cigarette pack
$8.54
$2.85
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.5
$4.47
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.71
$3.31
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.59
$1.75
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.72
$1.24
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36.3
$29.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.9
$6.24
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$63.7
$28
💇 Haircut, simple
$17
$5.66
👖 Brand Jeans
$85.9
$47.5
👟 Brand Sneakers
$94
$89.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$445
$187
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$13707
$4572

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Germany vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Germany

City Cost of living Population
Berlin
$2027
3.78M
Hamburg City
$2007
1.91M
Munich
$2201
1.51M
Cologne
$1744
1.09M
Frankfurt
$1989
776K
Stuttgart
$1957
633K
Dusseldorf
$1772
631K
Bremen City
$1556
577K
Essen
$1443
587K
Nuremberg
$1672
526K
Leipzig
$1516
620K
Dresden
$1402
566K
Dortmund
$1585
595K
Hanover
$1726
548K
Mannheim
$1617
317K
Wuppertal
$1233
359K
Duisburg
$1314
504K
Bielefeld
$1451
338K
Wiesbaden
$1879
286K
Munster
$1737
323K
Bochum
$1486
366K
Augsburg
$1728
303K
Karlsruhe
$1780
310K
Bonn
$1677
336K
Braunschweig
$1371
252K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1245
237K
Aachen
$1477
253K
Monchengladbach
$1511
269K
Chemnitz
$1187
251K
Mainz
$1666
223K

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