South Africa vs South Korea - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Africa South Korea
🚶 Cost of living one person
$815
$1118
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$1899
$3093
🏠 One person rent
$407
$471
🏘️ Family rent
$697
$1095
🍽️ Food expenses
$237
$454
🚐 Transport expenses
$101
$98.5
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1312
$2392
💸 GDP per capita
$6766
$32423
😃 Human freedom index
6.92
8.12
❤️ Life expectancy
62.3
83.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
63
🌐 English speaking %
31%
20%
🎓 Higher education
83
87
😀 Quality of life
41
87
🏙️ Population
60.1M
51.5M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($815) is 27% less expensive than in South Korea ($1118). South Africa ranked 107th vs 62nd 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 1.6 months in South Africa compared to 2.1 months in South Korea. Ranked 121st and 20th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in South Africa vs South Korea infographic

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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
$6.88
$6.47
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$31.6
$35
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.04
$5.62
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.92
$3.31
 Cappuccino
$1.71
$3.63
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.9
$1.46
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$394
$466
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$283
$323
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$620
$1256
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$543
$839
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$63.4
$99.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$97.9
$153
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$38.1
$20.9
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.09%
4.46%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$790
$10104
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$670
$6925
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.62
$1.06
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$46.2
$44.3
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.2
$9.06
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.17
$1.24
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.01
$2.07
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.85
$2.86
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.21
$3.19
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.02
$3.26
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.09
$11.8
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.29
$8.08
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.07
$31.2
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.37
$6.08
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.33
$3.32
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.24
$5.58
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.37
$5.12
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.17
$3.6
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.28
$2.97
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.56
$0.68
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.21
$2.53
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.02
$15.3
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.13
$2.1
🚬 Cigarette pack
$2.6
$3.35
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$3.84
$4.94
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.16
$5.38
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.59
$2.37
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$0.99
$2.13
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$25.9
$51.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.61
$9.9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$25
$28.1
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.4
$8.02
👖 Brand Jeans
$43
$62.1
👟 Brand Sneakers
$78.2
$78
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$188
$385
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$3937
$17694

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Africa vs South Korea

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

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

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1444
9.67M
Busan
$1029
3.45M
Incheon
$1020
2.94M
Daegu
$1113
2.44M
Daejeon
$924
1.48M
Gwangju
$1147
1.49M
Suwon
$987
1.23M
Ulsan
$1078
1.15M
Seongnam
$1121
949K
Changwon
$1073
1.05M
Cheongju
$903
849K
Yongin
$1256
971K
Jeju Island
$1056
678K
Goyang
$1144
1.06M
Hwaseong
$1088
904K
Namyangju
$1106
713K
Bucheon
$1152
793K
Gimhae
$907
534K
Jeju
$1003
435K
Cheonan
$940
652K
Ansan
$1127
653K
Siheung
$1081
425K
Uijeongbu
$986
463K
Anyang
$1097
548K
Gunsan
$975
275K
Pohang
$989
504K
Masan
$1006
430K
Jeonju
$787
653K
Pyeongtaek
$924
458K
Paju
$1072
415K