How Much Do You Need to Earn to Live Comfortably in South Africa?

'Living comfortably' is a rather subjective term. The cost of living in South Africa will also vary based on factors like location, lifestyle, family size and your personal financial goals.

Major metros like Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban have different cost structures, and generally have higher costs of living compared to smaller towns and rural areas.

By using the latest data from Numbeo, and other insights, we've provided a general overview of comfortable living in South Africa based on average figures and trends.

How to Define 'Comfortable Living'

For some individuals, living comfortably might imply a lavish lifestyle with luxury cars and overseas holidays. For others, it could mean covering essential expenses, with some disposable income left over for smaller luxuries.

For the purposes of this article, we'll use a middle-ground definition. That is, having enough money to cover the basics such as housing, transportation, food, utilities, healthcare, and entertainment.

We'll also take into account extra savings for emergencies and future goals, and look at the cities of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban for general and comparative expenses.

The Cost of Housing

Accommodation in South Africa's major cities - tourist destinations like Cape Town in particular - has become expensive. However, in relative terms, South African property prices are seen as affordable and even cheap to many foreigners.

Cape Town is the most expensive city in which to rent or buy a property in the Republic. Cape Town’s demand for housing is being boosted by the city’s perceived better governance and lifestyle. Declining unemployment means landlords are able to ask for more, while investors are buying up properties which is driving monthly rental fees even higher. This is of course, good news for property owners.

The average rental for a one-bedroom apartment in the Cape Town city centre will cost you R13 183, while a three-bed in the burbs sits at around R17 150. In Johannesburg, those respective costs are R7 356 and R11 776, while in Durban you'll pay R6 358 and R11 029.

The average rental for a one-bed apartment in South Africa therefore works out to be R8 966.

What Will I Spend on Groceries?

The general cost of groceries in South Africa can vary quite considerably across different income groups. These expenses are also influenced by dietary preferences and shopping habits.

The BFAP Thrifty Healthy Food Basket index suggests that R3 795 can easily feed a family of four for a month. This basket considers the cost of basic healthy eating for low-income households in South Africa and consists of a nutritionally balanced combination of 26 food items from all the food groups.

A comparative breakdown of some of the staples will see you paying R43 for a dozen eggs in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and R34 in Durban. A loaf of bread in South Africa costs you roughly R18 while a mid-range bottle of wine will set you back between R80 - R100.

To live comfortably and splurge on groceries (even shopping at Woolies), you'll need between R7000 - R10 000 for a family of four.

Transport - Public and Private

Transportation costs in South Africa, like elsewhere, depend on whether you own a car or use public transport. Monthly expenses for car owners would include fuel, insurance, and maintenance costs.

Data suggests this can average between R4 000 to R6 000 per month. Public transportation works out cheaper, particularly for daily commuting and varies depending on the mode of transport.

Monthly bus passes in Durban and Cape Town cost R688 and R850 respectively, which is significantly cheaper than a monthly pass in Johannesburg (R1 593). This is likely due to the larger distances travelled in Johannesburg.

A standard minibus taxi tariff in South Africa is a paltry R20. For e-hailing services, you're looking at R170 for a 20-kilometre trip. By international standards, these are relatively cheap public transportation costs.

Those Monthly Utilities

Another big one to factor into your monthly expenses is utilities. This includes costs relating to household services like electricity, water, internet and refuse removal (usually part of the monthly municipal rates), and mobile phone costs.

Depending on the size of your household, your municipality and your usage, you can expect to pay between R1500 to R3500 per month for utilities for a single person living in South Africa.

Breaking this down further, in Johannesburg you'll pay R2 028 per month for basic household utilities for an 85m2 apartment, in Cape Town around R1 671 and in Durban, R2597. Cape Town’s lower utility costs also come with a superior service delivery record.

In terms of your telecoms expenses, you're likely to rack up a mobile phone bill of R615 while internet services in South Africa are typically around R800 per month for a decent broadband connection.

Putting a Price on Healthcare

South African healthcare has public and private sectors. Public healthcare is subsidised by the government and is currently under reform for free access. However, for now, state hospitals remain understaffed and under-resourced.

That's why we would recommend biting the bullet on this one and going the private route for better quality healthcare. Costs vary, and employer-provided medical insurance options are often available too in most permanent contract roles.

The average in-person GP consultation in South Africa is an affordable R550 per visit, while you can choose from a large selection of health insurance schemes. Some of the more basic hospital plans can cost as little as R1500.

Lifestyle and Entertainment

Entertainment budgets are surely a luxury, though some would call it a necessity. This is also a tough one to put a price on, as the amount of guilty pleasures one allows oneself differs from person to person.

A conservative, or rather, responsible, estimate would be in the R2000 - R5000 per month range.

Eating and drinking out in South Africa is considered cheap by European standards, and it helps too that South Africa cultivates its own wine.

A three-course meal for two people at a mid-range restaurant in Durban can cost as little as R525, but in Cape Town this can cost up to R800. Cape Town also has the priciest flat white (R38) and domestic draught beer (R45).

Movie houses in South Africa will sting you about R120 for a single ticket (expensive by South African standards), while a gym membership looks like a sounder investment at R650 per month.

And the Verdict is...

To cover all of the above, you would need to earn a net salary of roughly R26 000 to live comfortably in South Africa. That means you (as a single person) would be able to pay for your rent, utilities, groceries, transport and healthcare and still have money left over for a few lifestyle and entertainment luxuries.

According to the latest figures from Stats SA, this is in fact the average monthly salary in South Africa. In addition, Numbeo has found that of the major metros the highest salaries are earned in Johannesburg, where one can take home an average monthly net salary of R30 677. You would therefore be more likely to have extra disposable income if you lived and earned in Joburg.

Disposable income also comes in handy if you're thinking about living comfortably in the future. Financial advisors recommend setting aside at least 20% of your income for savings and investments. This gives you a financial safety net for emergencies, and supports future goals like retirement, buying a home, or higher education.