Cost of Living · ZA vs ID
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇮🇩 Bali: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $605 in Indonesia — 27.32% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Indonesia
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -31.06%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -31.06%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -31.06%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -10.08%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -10.08%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -10.09%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | Indonesia | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $358 (5,901,218 IDR) | -31.06% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $287 (4,720,908 IDR) | -31.06% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $655 (10,790,695 IDR) | -31.06% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $5.18 (85,355 IDR) | -25.25% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $21.56 (355,263 IDR) | -25.35% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $3.54 (58,332 IDR) | -23.38% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $0.44 (7,250 IDR) | -20% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $1.29 (21,256 IDR) | -19.38% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $1.37 (22,575 IDR) | -19.41% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $4.04 (66,571 IDR) | -19.2% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $1.62 (26,694 IDR) | -19% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $1.94 (31,967 IDR) | -19.17% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $4.85 (79,918 IDR) | -19.03% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $0.81 (13,347 IDR) | -19% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $1.73 (28,507 IDR) | -25.11% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $5.08 (83,708 IDR) | -10.09% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $1.44 (23,728 IDR) | -25.39% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $0.93 (15,324 IDR) | -19.13% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $20.93 (344,882 IDR) | -23.33% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $0.89 (14,665 IDR) | -23.28% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $1.15 (18,950 IDR) | -25.32% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $0.52 (8,568 IDR) | -24.64% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.60 (9,887 IDR) | -10.45% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $64.40 (1,061,175 IDR) | -23.33% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $22.54 (371,411 IDR) | -23.33% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $14.49 (238,764 IDR) | -23.33% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $14.38 (236,952 IDR) | -25.34% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $4.03 (66,406 IDR) | -25.23% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $8.63 (142,204 IDR) | -25.28% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $34.95 (575,901 IDR) | -10.08% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $57.20 (942,534 IDR) | -10.08% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $71.88 (1,184,429 IDR) | -25.34% |
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 cheaper is Indonesia than South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $605 in Indonesia versus $833 in South Africa — 27.32% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Indonesia?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $1.73 in Indonesia (≈ 28506.71 IDR), versus about $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in Indonesia compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $358/month in Indonesia versus $520/month in South Africa (-31.06%). 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.