Cost of Living Comparison Between Japan and South Africa 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in South Africa is 35.8% lower than in Japan (without rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in South Africa is 33.5% lower than in Japan | |
| Rent Prices in South Africa are 24.2% lower than in Japan | |
| Restaurant Prices in South Africa are 2.8% lower than in Japan | |
| Groceries Prices in South Africa are 51.4% lower than in Japan | |
| Local Purchasing Power in South Africa is 12.6% lower than in Japan | |
Restaurants | Japan Edit |
South Africa Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
1,000.00 ¥ (123.62 R) |
1,294.32 ¥ (160.00 R) |
+29.4 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
5,000.00 ¥ (618.08 R) |
5,662.66 ¥ (700.00 R) |
+13.3 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
800.00 ¥ (98.89 R) |
719.97 ¥ (89.00 R) |
-10.0 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
500.00 ¥ (61.81 R) |
323.58 ¥ (40.00 R) |
-35.3 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
600.00 ¥ (74.17 R) |
364.03 ¥ (45.00 R) |
-39.3 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
476.38 ¥ (58.89 R) |
286.93 ¥ (35.47 R) |
-39.8 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
155.11 ¥ (19.17 R) |
141.11 ¥ (17.44 R) |
-9.0 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
115.70 ¥ (14.30 R) |
110.44 ¥ (13.65 R) |
-4.5 % |
Markets | Japan Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
835.31 ¥ (103.26 R) |
594.90 ¥ (73.54 R) |
-28.8 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
205.03 ¥ (25.35 R) |
129.47 ¥ (16.00 R) |
-36.9 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
276.67 ¥ (34.20 R) |
102.68 ¥ (12.69 R) |
-62.9 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
319.29 ¥ (39.47 R) |
327.52 ¥ (40.49 R) |
+2.6 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
772.71 ¥ (95.52 R) |
495.90 ¥ (61.30 R) |
-35.8 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
442.23 ¥ (54.67 R) |
300.29 ¥ (37.12 R) |
-32.1 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
1,247.71 ¥ (154.24 R) |
438.80 ¥ (54.24 R) |
-64.8 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
346.14 ¥ (42.79 R) |
99.76 ¥ (12.33 R) |
-71.2 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
169.82 ¥ (20.99 R) |
92.91 ¥ (11.49 R) |
-45.3 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
317.45 ¥ (39.24 R) |
95.69 ¥ (11.83 R) |
-69.9 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
315.84 ¥ (39.04 R) |
98.90 ¥ (12.23 R) |
-68.7 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
184.60 ¥ (22.82 R) |
79.67 ¥ (9.85 R) |
-56.8 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
169.67 ¥ (20.97 R) |
85.05 ¥ (10.51 R) |
-49.9 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
196.50 ¥ (24.29 R) |
149.80 ¥ (18.52 R) |
-23.8 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
132.91 ¥ (16.43 R) |
137.08 ¥ (16.95 R) |
+3.1 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
1,200.00 ¥ (148.34 R) |
687.61 ¥ (85.00 R) |
-42.7 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
310.96 ¥ (38.44 R) |
192.25 ¥ (23.77 R) |
-38.2 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
424.03 ¥ (52.42 R) |
245.89 ¥ (30.40 R) |
-42.0 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
600.00 ¥ (74.17 R) |
420.65 ¥ (52.00 R) |
-29.9 % |
Transportation | Japan Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
220.00 ¥ (27.20 R) |
230.55 ¥ (28.50 R) |
+4.8 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
8,000.00 ¥ (988.93 R) |
6,471.61 ¥ (800.00 R) |
-19.1 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
600.00 ¥ (74.17 R) |
161.79 ¥ (20.00 R) |
-73.0 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
708.11 ¥ (87.53 R) |
247.36 ¥ (30.58 R) |
-65.1 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
3,400.00 ¥ (420.30 R) |
687.61 ¥ (85.00 R) |
-79.8 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
656.04 ¥ (81.10 R) |
702.93 ¥ (86.89 R) |
+7.1 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
3,342,000.00 ¥ (413,127.26 R) |
2,993,121.31 ¥ (370,000.00 R) |
-10.4 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
2,568,495.43 ¥ (317,509.12 R) |
3,385,903.58 ¥ (418,554.48 R) |
+31.8 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Japan Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
25,682.63 ¥ (3,174.80 R) |
16,432.58 ¥ (2,031.34 R) |
-36.0 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
3,897.37 ¥ (481.78 R) |
4,565.95 ¥ (564.43 R) |
+17.2 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
5,059.81 ¥ (625.48 R) |
5,929.88 ¥ (733.03 R) |
+17.2 % |
Sports And Leisure | Japan Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
8,551.27 ¥ (1,057.08 R) |
4,583.89 ¥ (566.65 R) |
-46.4 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
2,336.47 ¥ (288.83 R) |
1,446.27 ¥ (178.78 R) |
-38.1 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
1,900.00 ¥ (234.87 R) |
970.74 ¥ (120.00 R) |
-48.9 % |
Childcare | Japan Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
55,939.43 ¥ (6,915.05 R) |
27,604.03 ¥ (3,412.32 R) |
-50.7 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
1,994,308.60 ¥ (246,529.99 R) |
654,358.93 ¥ (80,889.74 R) |
-67.2 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Japan Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
6,777.06 ¥ (837.76 R) |
7,022.23 ¥ (868.07 R) |
+3.6 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
4,740.06 ¥ (585.95 R) |
4,456.49 ¥ (550.90 R) |
-6.0 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
8,767.84 ¥ (1,083.85 R) |
13,167.74 ¥ (1,627.75 R) |
+50.2 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
12,276.18 ¥ (1,517.54 R) |
11,309.57 ¥ (1,398.05 R) |
-7.9 % |
Rent Per Month | Japan Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
89,161.27 ¥ (11,021.83 R) |
65,915.26 ¥ (8,148.23 R) |
-26.1 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
60,237.39 ¥ (7,446.35 R) |
53,151.64 ¥ (6,570.43 R) |
-11.8 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
196,425.20 ¥ (24,281.45 R) |
130,466.85 ¥ (16,127.89 R) |
-33.6 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
119,434.11 ¥ (14,764.06 R) |
103,261.82 ¥ (12,764.89 R) |
-13.5 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Japan Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
92,197.46 ¥ (11,397.15 R) |
13,669.53 ¥ (1,689.78 R) |
-85.2 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
50,905.41 ¥ (6,292.76 R) |
10,276.82 ¥ (1,270.39 R) |
-79.8 % |
Salaries And Financing | Japan Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
326,065.53 ¥ (40,307.17 R) |
189,681.04 ¥ (23,447.76 R) |
-41.8 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 1.82 | 11.55 | +534.7 % |
| Last update: | March 2025 | March 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 482 | 663 |
Moving to Japan? Explore:
Other comparisons Japan vs South Africa: