South Africa vs Sweden - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Africa Sweden
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1016
$1728
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2301
$3883
🏠 One person rent
$520
$880
🏘️ Family rent
$843
$1477
🍽️ Food expenses
$290
$571
🚐 Transport expenses
$120
$127
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1121
$3340
💸 GDP per capita
$6253
$57723
😃 Human freedom index
7.1
8.8
❤️ Life expectancy
66.1
83.3
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
80
🌐 English speaking %
31%
89%
🎓 Higher education
82
95
😀 Quality of life
40
92
🏙️ Population
64M
10.6M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($1016) is 41% less expensive than in Sweden ($1728). South Africa ranked 94th vs 28th for Sweden in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.1 months in South Africa compared to 1.9 months in Sweden. Ranked 128th and 11th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in South Africa vs Sweden infographic

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Prices in South Africa vs Sweden

We calculate prices for South Africa and Sweden as a population-weighted mean of 36 and 60 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 Sweden
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$9.29
$14.2
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$37.7
$78.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.92
$11.2
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.37
$7.68
 Cappuccino
$2.1
$4.81
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.09
$2.81
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$518
$935
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$376
$709
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$933
$1714
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$746
$1271
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$75.4
$89.8
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$117
$138
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$40.2
$38
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.51%
4.32%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1209
$6199
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$891
$4067
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.01
$3.76
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$46.6
$87.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$10.7
$24.2
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.27
$1.9
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.18
$1.67
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.01
$2.82
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.56
$3.53
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.45
$4.43
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.66
$12.7
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.01
$12.8
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.26
$19.1
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.67
$3.23
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.6
$2.7
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$3.08
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.65
$4.44
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.35
$1.73
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.41
$1.76
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.68
$1
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.44
$2.58
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.62
$11.9
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.42
$2.06
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.01
$7.73
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.02
$8.62
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.6
$3.66
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.86
$2.89
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.35
$2.36
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$32.7
$41.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.96
$17.2
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$29.6
$36.7
💇 Haircut, simple
$6.48
$28.2
👖 Brand Jeans
$52.4
$94.9
👟 Brand Sneakers
$96.9
$107
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$201
$159
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$4714
$6191

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Africa vs Sweden

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

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

In Sweden

City Cost of living Population
Stockholm
$2297
985K
Gothenburg
$1823
675K
Malmo
$1757
339K
Uppsala
$1650
175K
Vasteras
$1494
132K
Orebro
$1325
129K
Linkoping
$1530
117K
Helsingborg
$1485
116K
Taby
$1759
77.7K
Lund
$1619
98.3K
Norrkoping
$1390
98.2K
Solna
$1983
85.8K
Sollentuna
$1968
77.7K
Jonkoping
$1528
103K
Gavle
$1483
86.5K
Eskilstuna
$1446
70.6K
Umea
$1372
94.2K
Sodertalje
$1779
78.4K
Vaxjo
$1482
74.1K
Karlstad
$1460
69.6K
Sundsvall
$1396
70.9K
Lulea
$1522
49.6K
Boras
$1503
75.6K
Sigtuna
$1681
52.7K
Akersberga
$1940
37.7K
Halmstad
$1362
73K
Skovde
$1551
58K
Uddevalla
$1543
57K
Trollhattan
$1353
50.1K
Ostersund
$1522
54K