Japan vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Japan South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1160
$972
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2959
$2272
🏠 One person rent
$528
$492
🏘️ Family rent
$1024
$860
🍽️ Food expenses
$394
$276
🚐 Transport expenses
$136
$121
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2197
$1527
💸 GDP per capita
$33834
$6253
😃 Human freedom index
8.4
6.92
❤️ Life expectancy
84
61.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
73
41
🌐 English speaking %
15%
31%
🎓 Higher education
98
83
😀 Quality of life
89
37
🏙️ Population
125M
62M

The average cost of living in Japan ($1160) is 19% more expensive than in South Africa ($972). Japan ranked 65th 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 Japan compared to 1.6 months in South Africa. Ranked 16th and 124th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Japan vs South Africa infographic

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Prices in Japan vs South Africa

We calculate prices for Japan and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 907 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.

Japan South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.89
$8.2
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$36.4
$35.1
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.23
$4.71
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.26
$2.23
 Cappuccino
$3.06
$2.03
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.07
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$531
$491
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$359
$357
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1193
$867
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$747
$678
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$100
$66.3
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$154
$102
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$34
$41.6
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
1.83%
11.47%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$5404
$1199
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$3197
$888
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.83
$1.77
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$60.6
$53.1
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$26.3
$9.36
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.18
$1.32
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.49
$1.12
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.56
$0.99
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.15
$1.45
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.23
$2.48
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.7
$8.56
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.34
$5.09
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$16.8
$6.88
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.83
$1.57
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.36
$1.53
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.86
$1.5
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.55
$1.59
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.72
$1.39
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.57
$1.41
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.58
$0.64
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.48
$1.37
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$8.16
$5.62
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.97
$1.37
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.19
$2.94
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.4
$4.76
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.78
$3.55
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.41
$1.85
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.69
$1.31
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$57
$30.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.9
$6.65
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$33.3
$29.9
💇 Haircut, simple
$17.1
$6.65
👖 Brand Jeans
$45.4
$50.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$60.2
$91.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$350
$203
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$11669
$4974

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Japan vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Japan

City Cost of living Population
Tokyo
$1641
14.3M
Yokohama
$1385
3.76M
Osaka
$1212
2.75M
Nagoya
$1248
2.33M
Kawasaki
$1187
1.54M
Sapporo
$1268
1.96M
Kyoto
$1210
1.46M
Kobe
$1119
1.52M
Sendai
$1111
1.06M
Saitama
$1038
1.33M
Fukuoka
$1162
1.6M
Sakai
$1174
824K
Hiroshima
$1003
1.2M
Yokosuka
$1153
390K
Sagamihara
$1060
726K
Chiba
$1244
975K
Kitakyushu
$1044
935K
Kagoshima
$1092
594K
Hachioji
$1252
576K
Kumamoto
$970
738K
Wakayama
$1226
353K
Amagasaki
$1132
456K
Kawaguchi
$1056
594K
Utsunomiya
$1048
518K
Niigata
$1108
791K
Shizuoka
$991
686K
Hamamatsu
$1046
788K
Funabashi
$1145
641K
Himeji
$1212
528K
Kurashiki
$1103
475K

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