2023 was a topsy-turvy year for South Africans as they attempted to grapple with a volatile currency, its worst year of rolling blackouts to date, and a seemingly ever-increasing cost of living.
At the start of the year, the rand was trading at around R17 to the dollar, but ended 2023 at around R18.30.
While a weaker rand is good news for international tourists wanting to visit the country as they take advantage of the lower prices, it often proves more difficult for South Africans wanting to travel overseas.
However, there are still several countries where it is still relatively inexpensive for South Africans to travel in 2024 based on currency conversions.
Due to the fact that direct currency conversion does not always indicate the general cost of living, we also compared the cost of food, drinks and travel to what you would pay locally.
The costs of food, drinks and travel in these countries were done using data from Numbeo – one of the world’s largest database of user-contributed data regarding cities and countries worldwide.
The base cost of the various measures in South Africa are listed below for comparison purposes:
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R150
Cappuccino: R34.20
Draught Beer (500ml): R36.50
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R20
Note: These comparisons focus more on travel and touring rather than general living costs,and conversions were done January 9th, 2024.
Argentina (Buenos Aires)
Buenos Aires Argentina
R1 will buy you: 43,64 Argentine pesos
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R129.72 ($5,660.92)
Cappuccino: R28.97 ($1,264.15)
Draught Beer (500ml): R29.19 ($1,273.70)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R14.82 ($646.84)
Colombia (Bogotá)
R1 will buy you: 208.28 Colombian pesos
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R91.22 ($19,000)
Cappuccino: R28.50 ($5,936.97)
Draught Beer (500ml): R21.61 ($4,500)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R28.81 ($6,000)
Czech Republic (Prague)
R1 will buy you: 1.2 Czech korunas
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R183.28 (220 Kč)
Cappuccino: R59.62 (71.57 Kč)
Draught Beer (500ml): R45.82 (55 Kč)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R29.16 (35 Kč)
Egypt (Cairo)
The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan, Cairo
R1 will buy you: 1.66 Egyptian pounds
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R90.56 (E£150)
Cappuccino: R37.42 (E£61.98 )
Draught Beer (500ml): R30.19 (E£50)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R3.02 (E£5)
Hungary (Budapest)
R1 will buy you: 18.56 Hungarian forint
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R215.56 (4,000 Ft)
Cappuccino: R44.81 (831.43 Ft)
Draught Beer (500ml): R53.89 (1000 Ft)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R23.71 (440 Ft)
India (New Delhi)
Tomb of Safdarjung in New Delhi
R1 will buy you: 4.46 Indian rupees
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R89.75 (₹400.00)
Cappuccino: R39.43 (₹175.72)
Draught Beer (500ml): R33.66 (₹150)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R5.61 (₹25)
Japan (Tokyo)
Fujiyoshida, Japan
R1 will buy you: 7.71 Japanese yen
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R129.63 (¥1,000)
Cappuccino: R54.18 (¥418)
Draught Beer (500ml): R45.37 (¥350)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R57.04 (¥440)
Kenya (Nairobi)
Nairobi, Kenya
R1 will buy you: 8.48 Kenyan Shilling
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R67.82 (Ksh 575)
Cappuccino: R37.25 (Ksh 315.82)
Draught Beer (500ml): R29.48 (Ksh 250)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R18.87 (Ksh 160)
Mauritius (Port Louis)
Port Louis, Mauritius
R1 will buy you: 2.42 Mauritian rupees
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R124.20 (Rs300)
Cappuccino: R42.48 (Rs102.60)
Draught Beer (500ml): R41.40 (Rs100)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R44.92 (Rs 108.50)
Mozambique (Maputo)
A beach in Maputo, Mozambique
R1 will buy you: 3.39 Mozambican metical
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R236.01 (MT 800)
Cappuccino: R36,28 (MT 122.97)
Draught Beer (500ml): R22.86 (MT 77.50)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R73.75 (MT 250)
Philippines (Manila)
Manila, Philippines
R1 will buy you: 3 Philippine peso
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R83.20 (₱250)
Cappuccino: R55.36 (₱166.36)
Draught Beer (500ml): R23.29 (₱70.00)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R4,49(₱13.5)
South Korea (Seoul)
Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.
R1 will buy you: 70.67 South Korean won
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R141.50 (₩10,000)
Cappuccino: R74.06 (₩5,233.71)
Draught Beer (500ml): R70.75 (₩5000)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R12.74 (₩900)
Sri Lanka (Colombo)
Colombo, Sri Lanka
R1 will buy you: 17,28 Sri Lankan Rupee
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R57.88 (Rs 1000)
Cappuccino: R38.59 (Rs 666.77)
Draught Beer (500ml): R28.94 (Rs 500)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R5.79 (Rs 100)
Thailand (Bangkok)
Wat Arun Temple at sunset in Bangkok.
R1 will buy you: 1.87 Thai baht
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R53.39 (฿100)
Cappuccino: R43.48 (฿81.44)
Draught Beer (500ml): R42.71 (฿80)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R21.36 (฿40)
Turkey/Türkiye (Ankara)
Ankara castle.
R1 will buy you: 1.60 Turkish lira
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R124.62 (₺200)
Cappuccino: R41.29 (₺66.26)
Draught Beer (500ml): R49.85 (₺80)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R9.35 (₺15)
Venezuela (Caracas)
R1 will buy you: 1.93 Sovereign Bolivar
Eating out at an inexpensive restaurant for one: R186.28 (Bs. 359.07)
Cappuccino: R38.97 (Bs. 75.12)
Draught Beer (500ml): R27.94 (Bs. 53,86)
Average taxi trip (per kilometre): R37.26 (Bs. 71.82)
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