# Cost of leaving in midrand



## suresh_p12 (Nov 25, 2013)

Hello Guys,

It gives me immense pleasure to post my thread on such an interactive forum with such a nice and responsible people.

Please allow me to introduce my self and then very quickly I'll come to the topic.

I'm an Indian Citizen,30 Male Married working with one of top MNC in the capacity of senior management presently located in Mumbai, India.

I have got an offer from worlds top MNC and I 'm planning to move to Midrand, South Africa by Feb'2013.

I request you guys to please guide me regarding following:

i. How would be cost of living for me with 15K Rand per month in pocket .

ii. How much approx. expense will i incur per month . My major expenses are as under
a. House Accomodation. (I need fully furnished house probably 1 BHK)
b. Foods normally Egg, fruits, milk, Corn Flakes, Olive Oil, Green Vegetables.
c. Health Club (Gym) I'm a fitness freak.
d. Other daily usage like sanitary items, perfumes,deos etc.
e. Weekend parties ocassionally in pubs
f. Electricity/ Water Bills.
g. Maid for cooking and house cleaning.
h. Car Fuel Charges , what is cost of petrol and diesel per litre.

iii. What can i do for Car, I mean shall i go for a short term lease or shall I buy a new one for me. How is the schemes of Banks for buying a new Car say Toyota Corolla or Fortuner.

iv. Which are the localities where I can get a good accommodation.
How is the procedure there, I mean how much security deposit /advance normally landlord asks for.

v.How about the security scenario in Midrand, I mean from safety point of view.

I look forward to receive very good guidance from your end.

Best Regards
Suresh


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## shumifan49 (Sep 18, 2013)

15k per month will not go far as accommodation will be a big chunk of it.
See some of the other posts, but standing costs, excluding housing, will be about R15k-R20k from what I am told from friends in RSA.
To survive on R15k i guess you would have to have some cash reserves, but people currently living there might know better.
You have left off one of the big expenses: medical aid premiums.


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## suresh_p12 (Nov 25, 2013)

Thank you for your valuable reply shumifan49 what do you think how much should i demand


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## MissGlobal (Aug 4, 2012)

Here are some prices we are paying - I hope this helps : 

ii. How much approx. expense will i incur per month . My major expenses are as under
*a. House Accomodation. (I need fully furnished house probably 1 BHK)*

I don't know midrand prices for properties since I'm in cape town - but you should check : Property for Sale: Houses for sale: Property24 and privateproperty.co.za to see how much rental properties go for. I'm paying 22k a month for a 4 bedroom beach front home. I've also seen 2 bedroom apartments going for 6 k a month.


*b. Foods normally Egg, fruits, milk, Corn Flakes, Olive Oil, Green Vegetables.*

We spend about 3000 rand a month in groceries - but I cook a lot of different stuff and have a child - so you can definitely get by on much cheaper. My housekeeper also gets 2 meals a day with us - so we're feeding 4 people on that. If you're vegetarian you will be far lower.

*c. Health Club (Gym) I'm a fitness freak.*

I think I'm paying R300 or so a month at Virgin Active. This is for the cheaper plan that allows entrance between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm.

*d. Other daily usage like sanitary items, perfumes,deos etc.*

Prices should be comparable elsewhere

*e. Weekend parties ocassionally in pubs*

I have no idea how to budget that. I think it's safe to bet for anywhere from R20 to R50 for a drink?
*f. Electricity/ Water Bills.*

We have paid in excess of R4000 a month during peak usage in winter.... But I'd say I'm averaging around R2000 a month. But I have a 4 bedroom , 2 living room, study open plan home. So it's a pain to heat.

*g. Maid for cooking and house cleaning.*

Average for someone full time is R3000 a month or so.

h. Car Fuel Charges , what is cost of petrol and diesel per litre.
I oay approximately R600 per tank of gas.

So assuming a 2 bedroom apartment at our burn rate - you'd be looking at approximately : 13- 15 k a month.

Of course this excludes medical insurance which might be a few K a month and car payments which of course would vary wildly.


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## suresh_p12 (Nov 25, 2013)

thanks for the detailed reply MissGlobal.

So its definatly not possible to servive there with R15k per month right...


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## MissGlobal (Aug 4, 2012)

Actually it is possible to survive - as most south africans live on far less. The question is what your definition of survival is and what type of place you want to live in. Most of us expats don't have the luxury of having areas we know inside out. So we gravitate towards more expensive / more secure areas to compensate for that lack of familiarity. You can find less secure places for more affordable rates. The things you won't be able to get around are the cost of living things - from food, gas, utilities, phones ( not cheap at all here ), etc. If you take out your car payment / health insurance then you might be able to swing it comfortably. Also if your company is moving you here to SA - are they subsidizing your stay ?


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## shumifan49 (Sep 18, 2013)

Work it the other way around and see what is left for accommodation.

From MissGlobal costs.
Food: 3000
Health club: 300
Electricity: 2000
Maid: 3000
Car fuel: 1000 
Total so far: 9300

Medical insurance: Depends on plan but around 3000 for 2 people. This is something you should not omit.
total: 12300

So from 15k you have 2700 left and still have to cover

Armed Response if required
Housing
Entertainment

So, even a 2 bed at 6k means a minimum 18k and that does not include entertainment, clothing and incidentals. So I would still suggest in excess of 20k per month.
You could not have a maid, like most of us here in the UK, and that will shave 3k off the costs, bringing it closer to 15k.


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