South Africa vs United Arab Emirates - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Africa United Arab Emirates
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1116
$2124
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2517
$4640
🏠 One person rent
$573
$1436
🏘️ Family rent
$928
$2485
🍽️ Food expenses
$324
$423
🚐 Transport expenses
$125
$129
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$395
$3341
💸 GDP per capita
$6267
$50274
😃 Human freedom index
7.07
5.81
❤️ Life expectancy
66.1
82.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
69
🌐 English speaking %
50.7%
65%
🎓 Higher education
82
68
😀 Quality of life
38
84
🏙️ Population
64M
11M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($1116) is 47% less expensive than in the United Arab Emirates ($2124). South Africa ranked 79th vs 17th for the United Arab Emirates 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 1.6 months in the United Arab Emirates. Ranked 135th and 30th best countries to live in the world.

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the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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Prices in South Africa vs the United Arab Emirates

We calculate prices for South Africa and the United Arab Emirates as a population-weighted mean of 36 and 9 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 United Arab Emirates
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$10.6
$9.71
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$41.8
$57.9
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.7
$9.16
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.46
$11.8
 Cappuccino
$2.34
$5.46
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.2
$1.22
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$579
$1662
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$417
$1115
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1059
$3230
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$867
$2498
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$95.7
$122
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$147
$188
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$39.7
$91.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.1%
4.59%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1300
$6089
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$937
$4089
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.91
$1.6
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$60.8
$59
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.05
$9
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.34
$0.82
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.27
$1.81
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.12
$1.41
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$2.03
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.6
$3.19
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.53
$11.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.69
$8.45
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.33
$10.9
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.94
$2.4
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$1.82
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.88
$1.79
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.9
$1.4
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.55
$1.11
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.6
$1.03
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.81
$0.4
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.52
$2.18
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.87
$14.9
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.61
$2.63
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.26
$6.13
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.56
$7.53
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.89
$5.64
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.06
$3.35
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.38
$3.04
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$35.7
$74.6
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$7.85
$13.9
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$30.7
$67.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$7.32
$9.64
👖 Brand Jeans
$56.4
$67.3
👟 Brand Sneakers
$107
$100
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$235
$666
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$5552
$13313

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Africa vs the United Arab Emirates

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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 the United Arab Emirates

City Cost of living Population
Dubai
$2470
3.94M
Abu Dhabi
$2133
1.57M
Sharjah
$1543
1.25M
Al Ain
$1455
767K
Ajman
$2356
490K
Fujairah
$1173
119K
Ras al-Khaimah
$1355
116K
Umm al-Quwain
$1170
44.4K
Madinat Zayed
$1791
29.1K