Germany vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1671
$972
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4073
$2272
🏠 One person rent
$885
$492
🏘️ Family rent
$1657
$860
🍽️ Food expenses
$526
$276
🚐 Transport expenses
$118
$121
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3122
$1527
💸 GDP per capita
$52746
$6253
😃 Human freedom index
8.37
6.92
❤️ Life expectancy
80.7
61.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
78
41
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
31%
🎓 Higher education
94
83
😀 Quality of life
92
37
🏙️ Population
84.4M
62M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1671) is 72% more expensive than in South Africa ($972). Germany ranked 24th 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 1.9 months in Germany compared to 1.6 months in South Africa. Ranked 12th and 124th 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

Share this infographic!

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
$14.4
$8.2
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$68.2
$35.1
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.8
$4.71
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.61
$2.23
 Cappuccino
$3.72
$2.03
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.95
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$816
$491
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$626
$357
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1634
$867
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1270
$678
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$172
$66.3
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$265
$102
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$48.4
$41.6
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.97%
11.47%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5713
$1199
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4322
$888
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.38
$1.77
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$55.9
$53.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$25.2
$9.36
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.95
$1.32
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.22
$1.12
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.1
$0.99
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.17
$1.45
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.62
$2.48
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.9
$8.56
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.2
$5.09
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$19
$6.88
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.94
$1.57
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.65
$1.53
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.24
$1.5
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.66
$1.59
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.59
$1.39
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$1.41
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.62
$0.64
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.09
$1.37
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$6.21
$5.62
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.02
$1.37
🚬 Cigarette pack
$9.02
$2.94
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.2
$4.76
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.89
$3.55
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.73
$1.85
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.82
$1.31
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$38.3
$30.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$13.4
$6.65
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$66.6
$29.9
💇 Haircut, simple
$17.5
$6.65
👖 Brand Jeans
$89.1
$50.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$98
$91.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$456
$203
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12525
$4974

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
$2104
3.76M
Hamburg City
$2022
1.89M
Munich
$2332
1.51M
Cologne
$1851
1.08M
Frankfurt
$2102
773K
Dusseldorf
$1861
629K
Stuttgart
$2063
633K
Bremen City
$1799
569K
Dortmund
$1523
593K
Nuremberg
$1784
523K
Essen
$1525
585K
Dresden
$1462
563K
Leipzig
$1449
616K
Hanover
$1828
545K
Wuppertal
$1206
359K
Mannheim
$1679
316K
Bielefeld
$1481
338K
Bochum
$1618
366K
Duisburg
$1425
502K
Munster
$1809
321K
Bonn
$1765
336K
Wiesbaden
$1953
283K
Augsburg
$1714
301K
Braunschweig
$1456
252K
Karlsruhe
$1782
309K
Aachen
$1569
252K
Halle
$1320
242K
Chemnitz
$1228
249K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1320
236K
Monchengladbach
$1563
268K

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