Budget conscious South African lovebirds are getting some of the best value in the world when going out for a night on the town.

This is according to Deutsche Bank’s Cheap Date Index – which measures the cost of a movie-and-burger-date in 32 global cities in US dollar terms. It shows that South Africans can show their partner a good time without breaking the bank, compared to what other heartthrobs have to pay.

The date index includes the price of cab rides, dinner for two at a pub or diner, soft drinks, two movie tickets and a couple of beers.

Deutche Bank’s  index, released last month, showed that a date cost a lot less in Jozi or Cape Town than in many other great cities around the world. In Johannesburg a cheap date will cost you about R824 ($65). Cape Town is even cheaper with R659 or $52.40.

In comparison other major cities offer no cheap rounds.

Financial hub Zurich is the most expensive city in the world to go on a date. A casual night here will set you back R2 480 or $195.90. In New York a date will cost you around R1 639 or $129.50. Tokyo also requires some significant capital – a night out here amounted to R2 063 or $163.

At the other end, people in India can afford to splurge on their dates. A night out in Delhi will cost you a little over R557 or $44, while the same would cost you $46.70 in Bengaluru and $50.70 in Mumbai.

This year the bank also included a ‘bad habits’ index, which considered the costs of cigarettes and beers. South Africa came first here in affordability, while it is most expensive to sin in Australia and Singapore.

For many South Africans R600 might still sound incredibly expensive for a cheap date.

Personal finance portal MyTreasury.co.za also perused the index and said it showed just how prices have shot up in South Africa.

“When we consider that an ordinary movie ticket costs around R70 at most major malls, and a pizza with a Coke easily comes to around R100, we’re at R340 for two people before we’ve even thought about transport or liquor,” it said. “Throw in two ice cold Castles at R30 each, and R60 each way for a cab (no driving after those beers) and we’re just about breaking R500.”

Watching your movie in 3D and treating yourself to a craft beer will push up the price even further, it said.

Many would also be intrigued to find out that going out on a date cost most in Johannesburg than in Cape Town. MyTreasury said the calculation was probably based on averaged prices that won’t necessarily account for regional variation within a city.

“For example, drinks and a light meal on the Atlantic Seaboard will tend to cost more than in the Cape Town suburbs.”

MyTreasury also believed that the report was a snapshot of how far our currency goes. “The fact that a night out in Sandton costs far fewer dollars than a night in Manhattan says something about the cost of goods, but it also says something about the relative strength of the rand.”

FIN24

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