New Zealand vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

New Zealand South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1823
$1116
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$4074
$2517
🏠 One person rent
$1058
$573
🏘️ Family rent
$1643
$928
🍽️ Food expenses
$508
$324
🚐 Transport expenses
$141
$125
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$3019
$395
💸 GDP per capita
$49205
$6267
😃 Human freedom index
9.02
7.07
❤️ Life expectancy
83
66.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
81
41
🌐 English speaking %
97.2%
50.7%
🎓 Higher education
91
82
😀 Quality of life
89
38
🏙️ Population
5.29M
64M

The average cost of living in New Zealand ($1823) is 63% more expensive than in South Africa ($1116). New Zealand ranked 24th vs 79th 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 1.7 months in New Zealand compared to 0.4 months in South Africa. Ranked 20th and 135th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in New Zealand vs South Africa

We calculate prices for New Zealand and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 31 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.

New Zealand South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$13.1
$10.6
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$63.3
$41.8
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$9.41
$5.7
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$6.62
$2.46
 Cappuccino
$3.44
$2.34
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$2.23
$1.2
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$1029
$579
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$886
$417
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1758
$1059
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1416
$867
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$92
$95.7
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$142
$147
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$49.3
$39.7
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
5.71%
11.1%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6151
$1300
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$4176
$937
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.33
$1.91
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$95.2
$60.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$17.6
$9.05
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.69
$1.34
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.71
$1.27
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.87
$1.12
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.7
$1.81
🥚 Eggs, x12
$6.11
$2.6
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.63
$8.53
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9.88
$5.69
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$14.9
$8.33
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.84
$1.94
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.16
$1.81
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.04
$1.88
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.66
$1.9
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.98
$1.55
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.5
$1.6
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.72
$0.81
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.22
$1.52
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$10.4
$5.87
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.99
$1.61
🚬 Cigarette pack
$24.6
$3.26
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$10.3
$5.56
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.87
$3.89
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.72
$2.06
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.38
$1.38
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$35.1
$35.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12
$7.85
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$35.7
$30.7
💇 Haircut, simple
$16.4
$7.32
👖 Brand Jeans
$73.3
$56.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$98.5
$107
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$937
$235
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17500
$5552

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in New Zealand vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In New Zealand

City Cost of living Population
Auckland
$2100
1.47M
Christchurch
$1705
383K
Wellington
$2003
216K
Hamilton
$1424
177K
Tauranga
$1660
151K
Lower Hutt
$1869
103K
Dunedin
$1507
106K
Rotorua
$1259
58.5K
Palmerston North
$1395
81.5K
Napier
$1653
66.3K
Hibiscus Coast
$1745
59.8K
Porirua
$1803
59.6K
New Plymouth
$1261
57.6K
Gisborne
$1647
37K
Invercargill
$1282
50.2K
Upper Hutt
$1751
44.3K
Whangarei
$1239
54.4K
Nelson
$1469
51.1K
Whanganui
$1400
42.2K
Queenstown
$2232
29K
Paraparaumu
$1709
30.1K
Timaru
$1800
28.7K
Pukekohe
$1530
26.5K
Hastings
$1503
49K
Taupo
$1475
25.4K
Blenheim
$1248
28.2K
Masterton
$1440
21.4K
Wanaka
$1567
8.9K
Avarua
$1075
4.8K
Manukau
$1553
4.12K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1204
4.8M
Cape Town
$1386
3.78M
Soweto
$1031
1.27M
Pretoria
$1015
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$725
619K
Durban
$938
595K
Rustenburg
$994
550K
Randburg
$912
337K
Port Elizabeth
$1020
312K
East London
$773
267K
Bloemfontein
$742
256K
Centurion
$997
237K
Kimberley
$904
225K
Sandton
$1104
222K
Klerksdorp
$860
187K
Kroonstad
$872
169K
Benoni
$851
159K
George
$877
157K
Potchefstroom
$789
149K
Upington
$796
121K
Springs
$784
122K
Paarl
$1421
112K
Uitenhage
$968
104K
Vereeniging
$742
99.8K
Vanderbijlpark
$867
95.8K
Worcester
$763
97.1K
Mthatha
$953
96.1K
Middelburg
$875
87.3K
Komani
$1033
68.9K
Makhanda
$863
67.3K