Germany vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1581
$815
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3855
$1899
🏠 One person rent
$848
$407
🏘️ Family rent
$1584
$697
🍽️ Food expenses
$488
$237
🚐 Transport expenses
$112
$101
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2943
$1312
💸 GDP per capita
$48718
$6766
😃 Human freedom index
8.37
6.92
❤️ Life expectancy
80.9
62.3
👮 Corruption perceptions index
78
41
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
31%
🎓 Higher education
94
83
😀 Quality of life
92
41
🏙️ Population
83.1M
60.1M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1581) is 94% more expensive than in South Africa ($815). Germany ranked 27th 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 1.9 months in Germany compared to 1.6 months in South Africa. Ranked 12th and 121st 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
$13.2
$6.88
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$63.3
$31.6
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$10.1
$4.04
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$4.4
$1.92
 Cappuccino
$3.53
$1.71
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.81
$0.9
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$777
$394
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$605
$283
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1553
$620
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1217
$543
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$165
$63.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$254
$97.9
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$46.6
$38.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.94%
11.09%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5580
$790
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4266
$670
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.2
$1.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$55.9
$46.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$23.5
$9.2
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.89
$1.17
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.18
$1.01
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.03
$0.85
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.72
$1.21
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.58
$2.02
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13
$7.09
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$15.3
$4.29
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$16.2
$6.07
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.56
$1.37
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.5
$1.33
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.28
$1.24
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.03
$1.37
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.69
$1.17
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.95
$1.28
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.5
$0.56
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.01
$1.21
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.74
$5.02
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.01
$1.13
🚬 Cigarette pack
$8.61
$2.6
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$9.49
$3.84
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$2.7
$3.16
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.69
$1.59
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.71
$0.99
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$36
$25.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.5
$5.61
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$62.1
$25
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.8
$5.4
👖 Brand Jeans
$86.2
$43
👟 Brand Sneakers
$92.1
$78.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$455
$188
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$12634
$3937

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
$2013
3.68M
Hamburg City
$1909
1.85M
Munich
$2188
1.49M
Cologne
$1752
1.07M
Frankfurt
$1902
759K
Stuttgart
$1753
626K
Dusseldorf
$1776
619K
Essen
$1519
579K
Bremen City
$1716
563K
Dresden
$1406
555K
Dortmund
$1401
587K
Hanover
$1744
553K
Nuremberg
$1757
511K
Leipzig
$1371
625K
Duisburg
$1395
495K
Karlsruhe
$1805
307K
Mannheim
$1512
312K
Wuppertal
$1124
355K
Bochum
$1471
363K
Bonn
$1593
332K
Braunschweig
$1391
249K
Augsburg
$1751
296K
Bielefeld
$1422
334K
Halle
$1242
238K
Wiesbaden
$1713
279K
Aachen
$1502
249K
Munster
$1688
318K
Monchengladbach
$1476
261K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1275
232K
Magdeburg
$1297
236K

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