Living in South Africa is by no means cheap but, if you are looking to relocate to one of the provinces, knowing what’s involved is always a great first step. There are many factors to consider when deciding to move to a different city, some of which include the quality of life you would like to lead, the cost of living and the cost of doing business. In a recent article published by Hippo, we at Food Blog contributed with notes on quality of life and what goes into it. We’ve put together the key insights from the report to share with you.
Quality of life
Of the many factors that go into living in any city this might be the least quantifiable, as this measure is more felt. It is advised to experience the city you want to move to before relocating there. Quality of life may be quantified through the cost of luxuries, such as eating out, movies and bars. With the cost of fuel, production costs and other overheads, the quality of life is affected. Food Blog states the most expensive city to eat out in is Johannesburg, with the average cost of a 3 course meal at R225. Cape Town is a close second at R190, and the least expensive is Durban at R170 for a 3 course meal. Eating out may be a small part of living in a city but might greatly enrich the way you experience the place you live.
Cost of living
Though quality of life might be a motivating factor to move to a new city, day to day expenses cannot be ignored. 32% of the household expenditure goes to utility expenses including, water, electricity, and other fuels and 13% goes to food and beverages. With these two expense categories in mind, Durban’s cost of living is lower than Cape Town’s by 21%, and lower than Johannesburg’s by 27%. These costs will affect you day to day and will affect your overall standard of living.
Doing Business
Though the quality of life and cost of living in South Africa provides us with a portrait of the possible lifestyle you could have in the different provinces, doing business on the other hand paints a whole different picture. While Johannesburg and Durban represent the most expensive and cheapest cities to live in respectively, salaries and business in the provinces add another dimension when deciding to move. The table below shows the salaries earned in the different provinces relative to the national median level, for people with less than 5 years’ experience and more than five years’ experience.
|
Province |
>5ys experience |
<5yrs experience |
|
Gauteng |
7% (higher) |
6% (higher) |
|
Western Cape |
5% (lower) |
3% (lower) |
|
Kwa Zulu Natal |
16%(lower) |
21%(lower) |
|
Other provinces |
14%(lower) |
5% (higher) |
Though having higher salaries, Gauteng also incurs the highest electricity bills, followed by Cape Town then Port Elizabeth, and Durban incurs one of the lowest costs for an electrical connection.
Closing thought
Though living in South Africa may be expensive there are ways to reduce cost incurred while living and doing business in different provinces. Comparing prices, discounts and promotions could substantially reduce your monthly expenditures. By looking at the figures we can see that the cost of living in a particular province is compensated by the average salary in that region and the quality of life enjoyed in that province. More insights are provided on Hippo.co.za.
