South Africa vs Sweden - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Africa Sweden
🚶 Cost of living one person
$972
$1571
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2272
$3555
🏠 One person rent
$492
$811
🏘️ Family rent
$860
$1414
🍽️ Food expenses
$276
$514
🚐 Transport expenses
$121
$114
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1527
$3016
💸 GDP per capita
$6253
$56305
😃 Human freedom index
6.92
8.75
❤️ Life expectancy
61.5
83.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
82
🌐 English speaking %
31%
89%
🎓 Higher education
83
95
😀 Quality of life
37
92
🏙️ Population
62M
10.6M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($972) is 38% less expensive than in Sweden ($1571). South Africa ranked 90th vs 31st 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 1.6 months in South Africa compared to 1.9 months in Sweden. Ranked 124th and 10th 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
$8.2
$12.5
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35.1
$74.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.71
$10
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.23
$7.2
 Cappuccino
$2.03
$4.26
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.98
$2.29
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$491
$911
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$357
$656
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$867
$1625
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$678
$1182
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$66.3
$72.2
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$102
$111
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$41.6
$31.7
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.47%
4.54%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1199
$5608
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$888
$3611
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.77
$3.41
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$53.1
$78.3
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.36
$22.1
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.32
$1.85
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.12
$1.53
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.99
$2.58
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.45
$3.14
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.48
$4.03
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.56
$11.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.09
$11.4
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.88
$17.1
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.57
$2.89
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.53
$2.5
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.5
$2.7
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.59
$4.05
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.39
$1.53
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.41
$1.67
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.64
$0.94
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.37
$2.26
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.62
$10.3
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.37
$1.85
🚬 Cigarette pack
$2.94
$6.8
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.76
$6.94
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.55
$3.5
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.85
$2.59
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.31
$2.12
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$30.6
$39.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.65
$15.6
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$29.9
$28.9
💇 Haircut, simple
$6.65
$25.9
👖 Brand Jeans
$50.4
$82.7
👟 Brand Sneakers
$91.9
$94.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$203
$134
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$4974
$4409

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
$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

In Sweden

City Cost of living Population
Stockholm
$1991
985K
Gothenburg
$1725
608K
Malmo
$1570
325K
Vasteras
$1338
129K
Uppsala
$1460
167K
Helsingborg
$1306
114K
Linkoping
$1347
116K
Orebro
$1275
127K
Taby
$1586
77.4K
Lund
$1459
94.4K
Umea
$1234
91.9K
Norrkoping
$1285
98.1K
Solna
$1628
85.3K
Sollentuna
$2039
77.3K
Jonkoping
$1407
101K
Eskilstuna
$1274
69.9K
Sodertalje
$1644
76.3K
Gavle
$1463
79K
Karlstad
$1259
67.1K
Halmstad
$1341
71.4K
Sigtuna
$1604
52.5K
Boras
$1264
74K
Uddevalla
$1355
57.1K
Lulea
$1355
49.1K
Sundsvall
$1285
58.8K
Skovde
$1415
57.6K
Trollhattan
$1206
50.5K
Vaxjo
$1328
71.3K
Ostersund
$1400
53K
Tumba
$1638
46K