How Much Is American Money In Africa

The South African Currency

South Africa makes use of the South African Rand as its national currency. It is denoted by the letters "R" or "ZAR"; which would be the equivalent of referring to the United States Dollar as either "$" or "USD". The rand is typically a volatile currency, which means it's value when measured against other currencies, can vary quite substantially from day to day, week to week and month to month. The bills come in notes of R10, R20, R50, R100, and R200. The coins come in 10 cents, 20 cents 50 cents, 1 Rand, 2 Rand and 5 Rand.

How Exchange Rates Work

An exchange rate is the rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another. Most of your expenses when you are in South Africa will be denoted in Rands. At the time of writing the Rand: USD exchange rate is 14:1. This means that 1 USD will buy you 14 South African Rands. In other words, if you have a $100 note in your pocket when you arrive in South Africa and exchange it into Rands at the airport, you will get R1400.00 in return.

The cost of living in South Africa

The Rand is typically weak when compared to other currencies, which is good news for you. One Dollar/Euro/Pound/Yen/AUD/NZD when converted into Rands will typically buy you quite a lot more in South Africa than it would in your home country. For example, a Big Mac in the United States costs $5.10 at the time of writing whereas Big Mac in South Africa costs R31, which is equivalent to $2.14 when converted. As you can see, the cost of living in South Africa is typically less than most developed nations.

For more information on the cost of living in Cape Town, please see these two articles:

https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/cape-town

https://www.seeff.com/News/Article/average-rental-prices-in-cape-town/1670