South Africa vs South Korea - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Africa South Korea
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1116
$1074
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2517
$2688
🏠 One person rent
$573
$470
🏘️ Family rent
$928
$787
🍽️ Food expenses
$324
$417
🚐 Transport expenses
$125
$89.7
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$395
$2138
💸 GDP per capita
$6267
$36239
😃 Human freedom index
7.07
8.15
❤️ Life expectancy
66.1
83.4
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
63
🌐 English speaking %
50.7%
20%
🎓 Higher education
82
87
😀 Quality of life
38
87
🏙️ Population
64M
51.8M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($1116) is 4% more expensive than in South Korea ($1074). South Africa ranked 79th vs 86th for South Korea in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.4 months in South Africa compared to 2 months in South Korea. Ranked 135th and 23rd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in South Africa vs South Korea

We calculate prices for South Africa and South Korea as a population-weighted mean of 36 and 87 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.

South Africa South Korea
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$10.6
$6.41
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$41.8
$35.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.7
$5.45
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.46
$3.16
 Cappuccino
$2.34
$3.29
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.2
$1.41
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$579
$486
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$417
$319
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1059
$1137
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$867
$698
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$95.7
$98.8
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$147
$152
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$39.7
$19.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.1%
4.19%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1300
$11577
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$937
$6055
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.91
$0.99
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$60.8
$40.7
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.05
$8.06
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.34
$1.14
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.27
$1.88
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.12
$2.54
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$2.51
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.6
$2.65
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.53
$11.9
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.69
$7.7
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.33
$17.8
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.94
$6.64
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$3.08
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.88
$5.66
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.9
$4.93
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.55
$3
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.6
$2.35
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.81
$0.69
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.52
$2.03
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.87
$15.1
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.61
$1.9
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.26
$2.95
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.56
$4.01
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.89
$4.25
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.06
$2.09
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.38
$1.52
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$35.7
$45.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$7.85
$9.37
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$30.7
$45.2
💇 Haircut, simple
$7.32
$8.07
👖 Brand Jeans
$56.4
$57
👟 Brand Sneakers
$107
$68.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$235
$465
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$5552
$18682

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Africa vs South Korea

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Cost of Living in Popular cities

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

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1296
9.67M
Busan
$1084
3.45M
Incheon
$1032
3.05M
Daegu
$992
2.38M
Gwangju
$957
1.41M
Daejeon
$905
1.48M
Suwon
$985
1.23M
Ulsan
$957
1.13M
Goyang
$1052
1.06M
Yongin
$1061
1.08M
Cheongju
$865
848K
Seongnam
$1455
919K
Hwaseong
$1045
1M
Changwon
$1013
1.01M
Namyangju
$1094
732K
Gimhae
$1014
534K
Jeju
$1020
698K
Pyeongtaek
$1048
607K
Pohang
$989
504K
Jeju Island
$1037
666K
Cheonan
$1128
657K
Bucheon
$1090
772K
Uijeongbu
$868
463K
Siheung
$1313
514K
Paju
$1010
498K
Ansan
$1001
623K
Gwangju
$1179
397K
Jeonju
$771
342K
Gunsan
$964
275K
Sejong
$971
392K