Cost of Living · KR vs ZA
🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇿🇦 Cape Town: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,390 in South Korea vs $833 in South Africa — 40.07% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in South Africa
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -44.55%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -44.55%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -44.55%
Closest to South Korea prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -15.19%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -15.51%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -15.52%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Korea | South Africa | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $937 | $520 (9,293 ZAR) | -44.55% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $750 | $416 (7,435 ZAR) | -44.55% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,713 | $950 (16,994 ZAR) | -44.55% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.02 | $6.93 (124 ZAR) | -37.11% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $45.90 | $28.88 (517 ZAR) | -37.08% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.04 | $4.62 (83 ZAR) | -34.37% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.77 | $0.55 (10 ZAR) | -28.57% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.24 | $1.60 (29 ZAR) | -28.57% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.38 | $1.70 (30 ZAR) | -28.57% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.00 | $5.00 (89 ZAR) | -28.57% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.80 | $2.00 (36 ZAR) | -28.57% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.36 | $2.40 (43 ZAR) | -28.57% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.40 | $5.99 (107 ZAR) | -28.69% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.40 | $1.00 (18 ZAR) | -28.57% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.67 | $2.31 (41 ZAR) | -37.06% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.69 | $5.65 (101 ZAR) | -15.55% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.06 | $1.93 (35 ZAR) | -36.93% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.61 | $1.15 (21 ZAR) | -28.57% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $41.60 | $27.30 (488 ZAR) | -34.37% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.76 | $1.16 (21 ZAR) | -34.09% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.45 | $1.54 (28 ZAR) | -37.14% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.10 | $0.69 (12 ZAR) | -37.27% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.79 | $0.67 (12 ZAR) | -15.19% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $128 | $84.00 (1,503 ZAR) | -34.37% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $44.80 | $29.40 (526 ZAR) | -34.37% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $28.80 | $18.90 (338 ZAR) | -34.38% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $30.60 | $19.26 (345 ZAR) | -37.06% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.57 | $5.39 (96 ZAR) | -37.11% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.36 | $11.55 (207 ZAR) | -37.09% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.01 | $38.87 (695 ZAR) | -15.52% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $75.29 | $63.61 (1,138 ZAR) | -15.51% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $153 | $96.28 (1,722 ZAR) | -37.08% |
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 South Africa than South Korea?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $833 in South Africa versus $1,390 in South Korea — 40.07% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in South Africa?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.31 in South Africa (≈ 41.32 ZAR), versus about $3.67 in South Korea.
- How much is rent in South Africa compared to South Korea?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $520/month in South Africa versus $937/month in South Korea (-44.55%). 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.