Rent/ bond repayments (middle class suburb) 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge, dining room, study, pool, outside lapa (veranda), electric remote gate and double garage R7000- R10 000 per month
Utilities (water and electricity plus income R 1600 per maand

Telefone (fixed line) R600 - R1000 depending on usage and internet access about R60 per hour! very expensive

Cell phone (mobile phone) various rates depending on package taken but on average families spend about R1000 per month for 2 cell phones.

Public transport such as trains and taxis are unsafe and only the destitute travels on these, taking their chances with criminals who see public transport as a hunting ground. Thus people here travel mainly by road in their own cars. Owning a car could set you back anything from R2000 per month to R15 0000 and that EXCLUDES petrol (gas) Petrol price depends on oil price and R/$ exchange rate. I spend about R800 to R1000 per month on petrol and try to limit my travelling. Petrol sells for about R8,00 per liter which is about a 1/4 of a gallon.

Insurance is hight priority in SA since crime is so rampant and thus you have to have short term insurance against theft and accident damage for your car. This sets people back between R800 - R1000 per month. We pay R827 for one car and the content of our house. This doesn't include healt insurance or life insurance (long term insurance)

The public health care system has collapsed and private health care is VERY expensive. We spend R4800 per month for a family of 4 and my husband's employer contributes another R4800 per month. Thus health insurance in SA is around R10 000 per month if you have to finance this yourself.
Food has been relatively cheap, but has risen sharply in 2008 due to high fuel prices. Unfortunately food prices don't go down if the fuel price does like it did just now. The average grocery bill for a house of 2 adults and 2 small children is around R5000 per month.

You could live cheaply in SA if you used the crime riddled train/taxi system that is not regulated and run by gangs (associations) who often have shoot-outs at depots over taxi routes.
You could live cheaply in SA if you lived in the "informal settlements" where water and electricity is free if intermittent.

You could live cheaply in SA if you used the public health care system, but don't rely on nurses or doctors in state run hospitals to be able to diagnose or treat anything worse than a cold. People LITERALLY DIE waiting in line to see a doctor since the lines are endless and the nursing staff just don't care. Even cheap medicine is unavailable since those who have access to these often sell the government issue meds on the black market.

Luxuries like eating in restaurants or buying new clothes are rare occurrences and most trade in these sectors take place over the few days after each month-end.

Annual holidays are reserved for a select few as more and more middle class families opt for saying at home, visiting relatives or opting for daytrips to places of interest like to the zoo or a local resort.