- A new survey found that South Africans spend between 26% and 30% of their salaries on rent.
- Polokwane came out as the country’s cheapest city when salaries are compared to rent, and Cape Town the most expensive.
- The Western Cape was the most expensive province to live in, while the North West is the cheapest.
- For more, go to Business Insider SA.
The average South African spend between 26% and 30% of their salaries on rent, a new survey by online job aggregator Adzuna found.
This is in line with PayProp’s 2018 Annual Market report which said that South Africans spend roughly 28% of their salaries on rent.
Adzuna said it analysed more than 140,000 job listings in South Africa, and compared the average salaries to the average rent in major cities.
See also: This is South Africa's most congested city – where commuters lose up to 5 days a year in traffic
It found that Polokwane the cheapest where employees spend 12% of their income on rent, followed by Port Elizabeth and East London with 15%, Johannesburg with 16%, and Tswhane with 17%.
Cape Town was the most expensive where employees spend 27% of their salaries on rent, followed by Sandton and Richards Bay with 26%.
Adzuna said all the findings are based on a scenario where a single person resides in a one-bedroom home.
Jesse Green, Adzuna South Africa’s country manager, said the results appear to be directly tied to employment opportunities in Gauteng.
“Although cities like Port Elizabeth and East London are among the country’s most affordable, better pay in areas like Johannesburg and Pretoria make them equally as affordable for renters,” he said.
See also: This is officially South Africa’s laziest city
Green said employees working in the busiest hubs such as Sandton tend to keep rent down to a minimum by staying outside the city limits and commuting.
Western Cape most expensive rent compared to income
Provincially, Adzuna said the Western Cape is the most expensive province where employees spend 28% of their salaries on rent, followed by KwaZulu-Natal with 27%, and Mpumalanga with 23%.
The North West was the cheapest province where employees spend 16% of their salaries on rent, followed by the Northern Cape and Free State with 20%, and the Eastern Cape with 22%.
Gauteng was the fifth cheapest province where employees spend 23% of their salaries on rent.
See also: 8 places in the US, Japan, and Italy where you can get a home for free — or buy one at a massive discount
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