Germany vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Germany South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1755
$1016
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4140
$2301
🏠 One person rent
$924
$520
🏘️ Family rent
$1569
$843
🍽️ Food expenses
$552
$290
🚐 Transport expenses
$129
$120
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3290
$1121
💸 GDP per capita
$55800
$6253
😃 Human freedom index
8.67
7.1
❤️ Life expectancy
80.5
66.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
75
41
🌐 English speaking %
56.3%
31%
🎓 Higher education
94
82
😀 Quality of life
91
40
🏙️ Population
83.5M
64M

The average cost of living in Germany ($1755) is 73% more expensive than in South Africa ($1016). Germany ranked 24th 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 1.9 months in Germany compared to 1.1 months in South Africa. Ranked 12th and 128th 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
$16.3
$9.29
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$72.8
$37.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$12.1
$4.92
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$5.11
$2.37
 Cappuccino
$4.03
$2.1
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$3.32
$1.09
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$867
$518
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$667
$376
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1714
$933
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1346
$746
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$171
$75.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$263
$117
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$46.3
$40.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
3.89%
11.51%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5862
$1209
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4371
$891
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$3.75
$2.01
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$63.7
$46.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$27.1
$10.7
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.99
$1.27
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.3
$1.18
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.19
$1.01
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.32
$1.56
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.85
$2.45
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.8
$8.66
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.6
$5.01
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$20.8
$7.26
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.31
$1.67
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2
$1.6
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.33
$1.62
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.66
$1.65
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.64
$1.35
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.45
$1.41
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.71
$0.68
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.17
$1.44
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$6.71
$5.62
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.08
$1.42
🚬 Cigarette pack
$9.79
$3.01
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.4
$5.02
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.05
$3.6
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.75
$1.86
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.88
$1.35
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$40.7
$32.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$14.6
$6.96
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$70.8
$29.6
💇 Haircut, simple
$18.4
$6.48
👖 Brand Jeans
$93.5
$52.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$103
$96.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$482
$201
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$15339
$4714

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
$2222
3.78M
Hamburg City
$2172
1.91M
Munich
$2463
1.51M
Frankfurt
$2182
776K
Cologne
$1968
1.09M
Dusseldorf
$1979
631K
Stuttgart
$2207
633K
Essen
$1516
587K
Dortmund
$1632
595K
Nuremberg
$1767
526K
Bremen City
$1785
577K
Leipzig
$1690
620K
Dresden
$1555
566K
Hanover
$1828
548K
Mannheim
$1825
317K
Bonn
$1957
336K
Duisburg
$1340
504K
Bielefeld
$1611
338K
Augsburg
$1954
303K
Wiesbaden
$1922
286K
Munster
$1887
323K
Wuppertal
$1488
359K
Braunschweig
$1534
252K
Bochum
$1560
366K
Karlsruhe
$1891
310K
Freiburg im Breisgau
$1738
237K
Aachen
$1668
253K
Monchengladbach
$1651
269K
Halle
$1388
242K
Mainz
$1736
223K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1082
4.43M
Soweto
$984
1.27M
Cape Town
$1231
3.78M
Pretoria
$975
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$705
839K
Rustenburg
$940
550K
Durban
$892
595K
Centurion
$892
237K
Sandton
$984
222K
Randburg
$890
337K
East London
$784
267K
Kimberley
$861
225K
Benoni
$826
159K
George
$857
157K
Klerksdorp
$762
187K
Springs
$740
122K
Kroonstad
$808
169K
Paarl
$1243
112K
Potchefstroom
$731
149K
Vereeniging
$706
99K
Middelburg
$830
87.3K
Makhanda
$814
67.3K
Uitenhage
$946
104K
Worcester
$666
97.1K
Vanderbijlpark
$799
95.8K
Port Elizabeth
$1005
312K
Upington
$746
121K
Mthatha
$901
96.1K
Bloemfontein
$698
256K
Komani
$988
68.9K