South Africa

Living in South Africa: the short version

South Africa offers dramatic landscapes, a mild climate and a low cost of living for foreign earners, with Cape Town especially popular with remote workers. Crime, electricity supply problems and unemployment are real challenges, and safety varies greatly by area.

Best for: Remote workers, retirees with foreign income and professionals in critical-skills occupations.

How to move to South Africa: main visa and residency routes

Summaries only — requirements and income thresholds change. Always check the official sources below.

Critical Skills Work Visa

For professionals in occupations on the government’s critical skills list.

General Work Visa

Requires a job offer and proof no suitable local candidate was found.

Retired Person’s Visa

For people with a qualifying monthly pension or income.

Remote work visa

For people employed by foreign companies who meet an annual income threshold.

Healthcare for newcomers

Public hospitals are under strain; most expats and middle-income South Africans use private medical schemes, which are high quality.

How South Africa compares

Calculated from our data for all 55 countries. How we calculate this

Cost of living rank

13th cheapest of 55

Single person, core costs

$785/mo

Family of four, core costs

$1,576/mo

Take-home on $60,000

$41,582/yr

• Renting a one-bedroom home takes about 32% of the average local salary in South Africa, less than the median of 36% across the countries we cover.
• Core monthly costs for one person (rent, groceries, transport, utilities, internet and eating out) come to about $785, or 63% of the average local monthly salary.
• On a gross salary of $60,000 taxed locally, our estimate leaves $41,582 a year after income tax and employee social security (an effective rate of 31%), the 40th highest take-home pay of 55 countries. After single-person core costs, that leaves roughly $32,162 a year to save or spend.
• Countries with a similar overall cost of living: Mexico, Malaysia, Peru.
• Cheaper options in Africa: Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria.

Estimates for planning, using simplified national tax brackets in US dollars; local taxes, deductions and your own spending will differ. Try your own numbers in the tax calculator or budget planner.

Sources and methodology

Figures on this page are estimates in US dollars, compiled from the international datasets below and converted at recent exchange rates. The cost of living index uses New York City as 100. Guidance was last reviewed on September 30, 2026. Found something out of date? Tell us.