South Africa has two of the cheapest cities in the world

 ·20 May 2016
Expat jobs south africa

Deutsche Bank has released its 2016 world prices report, showing that Joburg and Cape Town are now home of the cheapest cities in the world for foreigners trading in dollars.

The report tracks various prices for goods and services across the globe, with the latest published work focusing on “sins” and dating.

Both Joburg and Cape Town ranked in the top 5 cheapest cities for “sins” (drinking and smoking) – second and third cheapest, respectively, with the average cost of $14.00 and $14.10 to indulge.

Manila, capital of the Philippines, ranked as the cheapest ($11.60), while Melbourne (Australia) was ranked as the most expensive city in the world ($66.90).

Most expensive and cheapest cities for “sin”

City Cost
Melbourne $66.90
Singapore $64.00
Auckland $63.50
New York City $63.00
London $62.20
Mexico City $19.50
Bangalore $19.50
Cape Town $14.10
Johannesburg $14.00
Manila $11.60

The report also looked at the cheapest place to go on a date (including taxi fare, a meal for two, soft drinks, two cinema tickets and two of beers), as well as the most affordable city to go to for a weekend away.

Cape Town ranked as the 5th cheapest city in the world to go out on a date, with a total cost of $48.50. The cheapest city is Bangalore, India at $42.00 – while the most expensive city was Zurich, Switzerland at $201.

Most expensive and cheapest cities for a date

City Cost
Zurich $201.00
Copenhagen $173.40
Tokyo $172.00
Stockholm $163.30
Amsterdam $147.10
Cape Town $48.50
Manila $45.90
Mumbai $44.90
Jakarta $44.50
Bangalore $42.00

For a weekend away – which includes two nights at a 5-star hotel, meals, car rentals, alcohol, and some clothing items – Johannesburg was ranked as the 5th cheapest city in the world, with a total cost of $867.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was the cheapest at $688 for the weekend, while Zurich was again ranked as the most expensive at $3,475.

Most expensive and cheapest cities for a weekend away

City Cost
Zurich $3 475
Sydney $2 320
London $2 226
Milan $2 141
Stockholm $2 025
Johannesburg $867
Bangalore $861
New Delhi $849
Mumbai $797
Kuala Lumpur $668

The review is based in dollar terms – as the currency has strengthened over the past year, US locations have become increasingly more expensive for travellers to visit.

The South African rand has had the opposite effect, having weakened significantly over the past year, has made cities such as Joburg and Cape Town much cheaper for visitors.

The report does not take purchasing power parity into account, and is not used as a basis to compare currency strength.

More on South Africa

South Africa is the cheapest country in the world to live

Cheapest and most expensive places to visit in South Africa

SA has the cheapest transport in the world

Who has the cheapest beer in the world?

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