Cost of Living Comparison Between Thailand and South Africa 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in South Africa is 9.7% lower than in Thailand (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in South Africa is 9.6% lower than in Thailand | |
| Rent Prices in South Africa are 9.4% lower than in Thailand | |
| Restaurant Prices in South Africa are 34.2% higher than in Thailand | |
| Groceries Prices in South Africa are 31.0% lower than in Thailand | |
| Local Purchasing Power in South Africa is 121.6% higher than in Thailand | |
Restaurants | Thailand Edit |
South Africa Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
100.00 ฿ (54.95 R) |
291.17 ฿ (160.00 R) |
+191.2 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
900.00 ฿ (494.55 R) |
1,273.89 ฿ (700.00 R) |
+41.5 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
208.40 ฿ (114.51 R) |
163.77 ฿ (89.99 R) |
-21.4 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
70.00 ฿ (38.46 R) |
72.79 ฿ (40.00 R) |
+4.0 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
120.00 ฿ (65.94 R) |
81.89 ฿ (45.00 R) |
-31.8 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
70.57 ฿ (38.78 R) |
64.71 ฿ (35.56 R) |
-8.3 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
22.70 ฿ (12.47 R) |
31.77 ฿ (17.46 R) |
+40.0 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
10.93 ฿ (6.00 R) |
24.72 ฿ (13.58 R) |
+126.2 % |
Markets | Thailand Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
227.85 ฿ (125.20 R) |
133.96 ฿ (73.61 R) |
-41.2 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
40.63 ฿ (22.33 R) |
29.20 ฿ (16.04 R) |
-28.1 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
19.18 ฿ (10.54 R) |
23.18 ฿ (12.74 R) |
+20.9 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
70.10 ฿ (38.52 R) |
73.68 ฿ (40.49 R) |
+5.1 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
259.33 ฿ (142.50 R) |
112.14 ฿ (61.62 R) |
-56.8 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
42.48 ฿ (23.34 R) |
67.32 ฿ (36.99 R) |
+58.5 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
152.99 ฿ (84.07 R) |
98.93 ฿ (54.36 R) |
-35.3 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
43.77 ฿ (24.05 R) |
22.47 ฿ (12.35 R) |
-48.7 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
19.98 ฿ (10.98 R) |
21.00 ฿ (11.54 R) |
+5.1 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
30.23 ฿ (16.61 R) |
21.81 ฿ (11.98 R) |
-27.8 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
23.81 ฿ (13.08 R) |
22.35 ฿ (12.28 R) |
-6.1 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
22.45 ฿ (12.33 R) |
18.01 ฿ (9.90 R) |
-19.7 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
19.12 ฿ (10.51 R) |
19.15 ฿ (10.52 R) |
+0.1 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
36.97 ฿ (20.31 R) |
33.85 ฿ (18.60 R) |
-8.5 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
16.72 ฿ (9.19 R) |
30.81 ฿ (16.93 R) |
+84.3 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
600.00 ฿ (329.70 R) |
154.69 ฿ (85.00 R) |
-74.2 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
58.24 ฿ (32.01 R) |
43.63 ฿ (23.97 R) |
-25.1 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
97.94 ฿ (53.82 R) |
55.86 ฿ (30.70 R) |
-43.0 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
145.00 ฿ (79.68 R) |
94.63 ฿ (52.00 R) |
-34.7 % |
Transportation | Thailand Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
25.00 ฿ (13.74 R) |
54.60 ฿ (30.00 R) |
+118.4 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
1,083.00 ฿ (595.11 R) |
1,455.87 ฿ (800.00 R) |
+34.4 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
35.59 ฿ (19.56 R) |
36.40 ฿ (20.00 R) |
+2.3 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
64.37 ฿ (35.37 R) |
58.57 ฿ (32.19 R) |
-9.0 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
200.00 ฿ (109.90 R) |
154.69 ฿ (85.00 R) |
-22.7 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
157.71 ฿ (86.66 R) |
157.92 ฿ (86.78 R) |
+0.1 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
907,500.00 ฿ (498,670.35 R) |
673,340.61 ฿ (370,000.00 R) |
-25.8 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
921,763.58 ฿ (506,508.17 R) |
763,782.07 ฿ (419,697.49 R) |
-17.1 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Thailand Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
2,650.64 ฿ (1,456.52 R) |
3,650.59 ฿ (2,005.99 R) |
+37.7 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
453.47 ฿ (249.18 R) |
1,027.24 ฿ (564.47 R) |
+126.5 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
576.00 ฿ (316.51 R) |
1,337.74 ฿ (735.09 R) |
+132.2 % |
Sports And Leisure | Thailand Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
1,630.59 ฿ (896.01 R) |
1,022.05 ฿ (561.62 R) |
-37.3 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
323.14 ฿ (177.56 R) |
329.32 ฿ (180.96 R) |
+1.9 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
240.00 ฿ (131.88 R) |
218.38 ฿ (120.00 R) |
-9.0 % |
Childcare | Thailand Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
13,040.26 ฿ (7,165.61 R) |
6,238.96 ฿ (3,428.30 R) |
-52.2 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
419,750.71 ฿ (230,652.60 R) |
147,941.70 ฿ (81,293.82 R) |
-64.8 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Thailand Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
1,542.67 ฿ (847.69 R) |
1,587.07 ฿ (872.09 R) |
+2.9 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
1,106.06 ฿ (607.78 R) |
1,004.44 ฿ (551.94 R) |
-9.2 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
3,053.07 ฿ (1,677.66 R) |
2,976.44 ฿ (1,635.55 R) |
-2.5 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
2,437.32 ฿ (1,339.30 R) |
2,569.64 ฿ (1,412.01 R) |
+5.4 % |
Rent Per Month | Thailand Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
16,096.85 ฿ (8,845.20 R) |
14,664.96 ฿ (8,058.38 R) |
-8.9 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
8,908.27 ฿ (4,895.09 R) |
11,930.05 ฿ (6,555.55 R) |
+33.9 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
40,239.82 ฿ (22,111.74 R) |
29,436.54 ฿ (16,175.35 R) |
-26.8 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
22,287.94 ฿ (12,247.20 R) |
23,239.05 ฿ (12,769.83 R) |
+4.3 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Thailand Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
12,309.37 ฿ (6,763.98 R) |
3,079.88 ฿ (1,692.39 R) |
-75.0 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
6,611.99 ฿ (3,633.28 R) |
2,327.95 ฿ (1,279.20 R) |
-64.8 % |
Salaries And Financing | Thailand Edit |
South Africa Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
21,340.51 ฿ (11,726.59 R) |
42,741.08 ฿ (23,486.18 R) |
+100.3 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 5.70 | 11.56 | +102.6 % |
| Last update: | March 2025 | April 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 562 | 662 |
Moving to Thailand? Explore:
Other comparisons Thailand vs South Africa: