South Africa vs United Arab Emirates - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Africa United Arab Emirates
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1016
$2101
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2301
$4583
🏠 One person rent
$520
$1412
🏘️ Family rent
$843
$2441
🍽️ Food expenses
$290
$419
🚐 Transport expenses
$120
$132
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1121
$3410
💸 GDP per capita
$6253
$49378
😃 Human freedom index
7.1
5.9
❤️ Life expectancy
66.1
82.9
👮 Corruption perceptions index
41
68
🌐 English speaking %
31%
65%
🎓 Higher education
82
68
😀 Quality of life
40
83
🏙️ Population
64M
10.9M

The average cost of living in South Africa ($1016) is 52% less expensive than in the United Arab Emirates ($2101). South Africa ranked 94th 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 1.1 months in South Africa compared to 1.6 months in the United Arab Emirates. Ranked 128th and 27th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in South Africa vs United Arab Emirates infographic

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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
$9.29
$9.28
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$37.7
$57.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$4.92
$9.09
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.37
$11.5
 Cappuccino
$2.1
$5.32
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.09
$1.09
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$518
$1623
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$376
$1083
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$933
$3576
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$746
$2450
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$75.4
$122
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$117
$186
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$40.2
$99.1
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
11.51%
4.67%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1209
$6782
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$891
$5779
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$2.01
$1.55
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$46.6
$63.8
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$10.7
$8.94
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.27
$0.77
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.18
$1.88
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.01
$1.41
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.56
$2.05
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.45
$3.26
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.66
$10.7
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.01
$8.49
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.26
$11.2
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.67
$2.31
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.6
$1.77
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$1.7
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.65
$1.44
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.35
$1.15
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.41
$1.19
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.68
$0.42
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.44
$2.01
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$5.62
$13.8
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.42
$2.43
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.01
$6.01
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$5.02
$6.93
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.6
$5.51
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.86
$2.99
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.35
$3.57
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$32.7
$71.2
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$6.96
$13.8
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$29.6
$70.7
💇 Haircut, simple
$6.48
$9.22
👖 Brand Jeans
$52.4
$67.8
👟 Brand Sneakers
$96.9
$107
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$201
$659
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$4714
$11633

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Africa vs the United Arab Emirates

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 the United Arab Emirates

City Cost of living Population
Dubai
$2514
3.94M
Abu Dhabi
$1942
1.57M
Al Ain
$1449
767K
Sharjah
$1419
1.25M
Ajman
$2521
490K
Fujairah
$1228
119K
Ras al-Khaimah
$1398
116K
Umm al-Quwain
$1183
44.4K
Madinat Zayed
$1730
29.1K