Cost of Living · ZA vs US
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇺🇸 New York: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $2,410 in United States — 189.32% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in United States
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 41.49%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 41.5%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 41.59%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +236.86%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +236.86%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +236.86%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | United States | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $1,750 | +236.86% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $1,400 | +236.86% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $3,200 | +236.86% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $18.00 | +159.74% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $75.00 | +159.7% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $11.00 | +138.1% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $1.10 | +100% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $3.20 | +100% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $3.40 | +100% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $10.00 | +100% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $4.00 | +100% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $4.80 | +100% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $12.00 | +100.33% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $2.00 | +100% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $6.00 | +159.74% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $8.00 | +41.59% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $5.00 | +159.07% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $2.30 | +100% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $65.00 | +138.1% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $2.75 | +137.07% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $4.00 | +159.74% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $1.80 | +160.87% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.95 | +41.79% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $200 | +138.1% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $70.00 | +138.1% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $45.00 | +138.1% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $50.00 | +159.61% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $14.00 | +159.74% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $30.00 | +159.74% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $55.00 | +41.5% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $90.00 | +41.49% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $250 | +159.66% |
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 United States than South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,410 in United States versus $833 in South Africa — 189.32% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in United States?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $6.00 in United States, versus about $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in United States compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,750/month in United States versus $520/month in South Africa (+236.86%). 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.