“That Fridge Costs R600”: Gent Shows Luxury Home He Built in China With R1 Million

• A Midrand content creator gave his followers a full tour of a stunning two-storey home he built in China for just R1 million
• The five-bedroom house features top-quality tiles, doors, lighting and air conditioning units, all included in the R1 million budget
• South Africans were shocked by the comparison, with many pointing out that a fridge costing R600 in China would set you back R34,000 in South Africa
• Briefly News asked Real Estate Master Practitioner Xabiso Lombo how rental price increases over the years impact residential property investments

A Johannesburg man who regularly shares content comparing costs between South Africa and China left his followers stunned after revealing what R1 million can buy you in the Asian country. Content creator @mabasou, who lives in Midrand, posted a video on 22 September 2025 with the caption:

"Let me show you one Chinese house."

The clip went viral, getting over 100,000 views and 3,400 reactions as people watched him walk through his brand new property.

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In the video, the man opened the door to show a small yard where he'd planted trees. He then showed the entrance to the home and pointed out the top-quality, affordable door before taking viewers inside. The ground floor has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a kitchen, and a living area. He showed off the kitchen tiles and mentioned he'd just bought a fridge the day before for R600.

The property has two bathrooms, though the water wasn't connected yet. Moving upstairs, he showed the high-quality tiles that are top-ranked in China. The second floor has three more bedrooms, bringing the total to five. The house has air conditioning units, and the R1 million budget included all the doors, tiles, and lighting.

He explained that building the house itself was affordable, but the land was expensive. He spent R1 million on the land and another R1 million on construction. The house is almost ready for him to move in, just waiting for the water and plumbing to be completed. He asked viewers what they thought about it in the comments.

Briefly News asked Real Estate Master Practitioner Xabiso Lombo how rising rental prices over the years have affected residential property investments. She said:

"South Africans are increasingly unable to compete with foreign buyers who earn in stronger currencies, pushing locals further away from central areas and creating affordability challenges."

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SA TikTok users compare property costs

@moloitshepo wrote:

"Not in SA, that would cost 3 to 6 million. Beautiful house, Mabaso."

@lethabomolemane shared:

"Last time I checked in China, you can build such a house at a small fee, but you don't own the land where the house is sitting. In RSA, you get to own the land, not the government."

@mahlogonololentsoana joked:

"Yoh, Jack Mabaso, the fridge costs R600? That's a different kind of flex, for that amount you might get a decent cooler box 😭"

@kholofelovanbombmanasoe gushed:

"Beautiful ❤️ and very simple, can't wait to see it when it's fully furnished."

@theone calculated:

"That fridge in SA is R34000.00, the house will cost 7.8 million."

@isaacafricakemet added:

"In South Africa, we are being scammed back and front 😂"

How property ownership works in China

According to Wikipedia, property law in China works very differently from South Africa. Since the Communist Revolution in 1949, the state or collectives have owned most of the land in China. The Property Law, passed in 2007, protects property rights, but people don't actually own the land their homes sit on.

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Urban land belongs to the state, though developers can get construction land use rights to build and profit from property. For residential properties, people can own the exclusive parts within an apartment building, like individual flats. When someone buys land use rights, they're getting a contract for a specific period, usually 70 years for residential purposes, 50 years for industrial use, and 40 years for commercial purposes.

Content creator @mabasou mentioned in his video that he purchased the land for R1 million before building the house. In China's system, what he actually bought was the right to use that land for a set period of time, not permanent ownership like South Africans are used to.

This is why some viewers in the comments section argued that while building might be cheaper in China, South Africans get to own their land outright, which adds long-term value. The debate in the comments highlighted how different property systems work and whether the lower building costs in China make up for not having permanent land ownership.

Watch the Facebook clip below:

The content creator also highlighted the major differences between cars in SA and China in a Facebook video.

More stories about South Africans and China

• Briefly News recently reported on two Chinese women who followed a South African woman around to check if her body was real, and their curious reactions had people laughing.
• A Mpumalanga woman studying in China shared how locals constantly ask her for photos, and her joke about charging per picture had viewers suggesting she turn it into a business.
• A content creator showed exactly how much food R150 can buy at a Chinese buffet, and the six plates of meat, vegetables, and desserts he walked away with left South Africans jealous.

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Updated by Hilary Sekgota, Human Interest HOD at Briefly News.

Source: Briefly News