Cost of Living · ZA vs FR
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇫🇷 Paris: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $1,761 in France — 111.4% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in France
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 27.84%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 27.84%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 27.96%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +136.19%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +136.19%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +136.19%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | France | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $1,227 (1,134 EUR) | +136.19% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $982 (907 EUR) | +136.19% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $2,244 (2,073 EUR) | +136.19% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $13.62 (13 EUR) | +96.54% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $56.74 (52 EUR) | +96.47% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $8.54 (8 EUR) | +84.85% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $0.90 (1 EUR) | +63.64% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $2.61 (2 EUR) | +63.12% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $2.78 (3 EUR) | +63.53% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $8.16 (8 EUR) | +63.2% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $3.27 (3 EUR) | +63.5% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $3.92 (4 EUR) | +63.33% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $9.80 (9 EUR) | +63.61% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $1.63 (2 EUR) | +63% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $4.54 (4 EUR) | +96.54% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $7.23 (7 EUR) | +27.96% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $3.78 (3 EUR) | +95.85% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $1.88 (2 EUR) | +63.48% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $50.44 (47 EUR) | +84.76% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $2.13 (2 EUR) | +83.62% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $3.03 (3 EUR) | +96.75% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $1.36 (1 EUR) | +97.1% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.86 (1 EUR) | +28.36% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $155 (143 EUR) | +84.76% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $54.32 (50 EUR) | +84.76% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $34.92 (32 EUR) | +84.76% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $37.83 (35 EUR) | +96.42% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $10.59 (10 EUR) | +96.47% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $22.70 (21 EUR) | +96.54% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $49.69 (46 EUR) | +27.84% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $81.32 (75 EUR) | +27.84% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $189 (175 EUR) | +96.45% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is France than South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,761 in France versus $833 in South Africa — 111.4% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in France?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $4.54 in France (≈ 4.19 EUR), versus about $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in France compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,227/month in France versus $520/month in South Africa (+136.19%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.