South Africa vs Switzerland - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Africa Switzerland
🚶 Cost of living one person
$972
$2978
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2272
$7532
🏠 One person rent
$492
$1679
🏘️ Family rent
$860
$3087
🍽️ Food expenses
$276
$905
🚐 Transport expenses
$121
$137
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1527
$6579
💸 GDP per capita
$6253
$99995
😃 Human freedom index
6.92
9.01
❤️ Life expectancy
61.5
83.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
82
🌐 English speaking %
31%
61.3%
🎓 Higher education
83
99
😀 Quality of life
37
100
🏙️ Population
62M
8.9M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($972) is 67% less expensive than in Switzerland ($2978). South Africa ranked 90th vs 4th for Switzerland 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 2.2 months in Switzerland. Ranked 124th and 1st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in South Africa vs Switzerland infographic

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Prices in South Africa vs Switzerland

We calculate prices for South Africa and Switzerland as a population-weighted mean of 36 and 50 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 Switzerland
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$8.2
$27.8
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35.1
$98.4
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.71
$18
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.23
$8.46
 Cappuccino
$2.03
$5.95
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.98
$4.97
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$491
$1719
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$357
$1400
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$867
$3301
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$678
$2658
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$66.3
$159
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$102
$245
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$41.6
$56.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.47%
2.47%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1199
$13868
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$888
$9046
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.77
$4.2
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$53.1
$95.2
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.36
$41.8
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.32
$2.17
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.12
$2.07
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$0.99
$3.73
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.45
$4.1
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.48
$7.71
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.56
$23.5
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.09
$28
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.88
$46.1
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.57
$3.76
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.53
$2.4
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.5
$3.07
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.59
$5.8
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.39
$2.69
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.41
$2.49
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.64
$0.77
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.37
$3.17
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.62
$15.6
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.37
$2.48
🚬 Cigarette pack
$2.94
$10.5
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.76
$18.5
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.55
$5.71
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.85
$4.11
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.31
$4.25
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$30.6
$89.4
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.65
$22.4
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$29.9
$144
💇 Haircut, simple
$6.65
$42.8
👖 Brand Jeans
$50.4
$124
👟 Brand Sneakers
$91.9
$144
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$203
$2627
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$4974
$21218

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Africa vs Switzerland

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 Switzerland

City Cost of living Population
Zurich
$3392
447K
Geneva
$3322
204K
Basel
$2741
174K
Lausanne
$2890
141K
Bern
$2512
135K
Winterthur
$3184
110K
Lucerne
$3068
81.7K
St. Gallen
$2618
75.8K
Lugano
$2763
63.2K
Biel/Bienne
$2517
55.2K
Koniz
$2592
41.8K
Thun
$2646
43.7K
Vernier
$3120
34.8K
Uster
$3057
36.8K
Lancy
$3094
31.9K
Fribourg
$2738
38.4K
Chur
$2197
35K
Schaffhausen
$2629
36.6K
Altstetten
$3139
36.3K
Bellinzona
$3009
43.8K
Neuchatel
$2424
33.5K
Yverdon-les-Bains
$2940
30.2K
Dubendorf
$3129
28K
Sion
$2052
34.7K
Montreux
$3257
26K
La Chaux-de-Fonds
$2373
39K
Emmen
$3020
29.3K
Kriens
$2989
27K
Meyrin
$3090
24.1K
Frauenfeld
$2647
25.4K