Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandra, South Africa and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandra: $1,054 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Alexandra
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Alexandra Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Alexandra

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,054

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alexandra and in Johannesburg

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alexandra and in Johannesburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,054 per month in Alexandra vs $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Alexandra $1,054
Johannesburg $1,406

A couple spends around $1,664 per month in Alexandra vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Alexandra $1,664
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $2,275 per month in Alexandra vs $2,983 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Alexandra $2,275
Johannesburg $2,983

Alexandra is about 25% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Alexandra sits 22% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 R 149

$11.88 R 196

-23.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.95 R 592

$44.83 R 739

-19.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 R 87.5

$7.40 R 122

-28.24%

Cappuccino

$2.20 R 36.27

$2.45 R 40.33

-10.20%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 R 17.48

$1.23 R 20.22

-13.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.93

$0.92 R 15.21

-15.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.35

$2.45 R 40.41

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 R 43.69

$2.74 R 45.14

-3.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.37

$1.31 R 21.63

-9.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.06

$1.26 R 20.74

-12.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.19

$1.72 R 28.37

-0.58%

Eggs

$2.53 R 41.65

$2.63 R 43.38

-3.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.25 R 136

$8.87 R 146

-6.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 R 85.3

$5.68 R 93.5

-8.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 R 120

$9.04 R 149

-19.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.30

$2.07 R 34.19

-11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.46

$1.91 R 31.41

-12.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.41

$1.83 R 30.08

-2.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.16

$2.05 R 33.78

-22.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.74

$1.70 R 28.05

-36.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R 19.55

$1.81 R 29.75

-34.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.29

$1.51 R 24.83

-18.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.26 R 20.69

3.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 R 54.5

$3.50 R 57.7

-5.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.19 R 85.6

$6.07 R 100

-14.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 24.88

$1.80 R 29.69

-16.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R 31.30

$2.31 R 38.02

-17.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 R 29.61

$1.62 R 26.74

11.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,494

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.14

$0.82 R 13.55

-62.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.30

$0.92 R 15.11

-18.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.54 R 240

$14.30 R 236

1.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 24.91

$1.52 R 25.00

-0.66%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K R 589.6K

$35.4K R 583.4K

1.07%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.0K R 559.7K

$34.7K R 572.5K

-2.23%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$150 R 2,468

$228 R 3,754

-34.25%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$37.20 R 613

$38.51 R 635

-3.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.55 R 602

$38.02 R 627

-3.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 R 549

$35.33 R 582

-5.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.56 R 191

$16.47 R 271

-29.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 R 122

$8.47 R 140

-12.40%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$243 R 4,004

$247 R 4,070

-1.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,039 R 99.5K

$7,727 R 127.3K

-21.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 R 871

$58.1 R 958

-9.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.89 R 525

$44.29 R 730

-28.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 R 1,539

$113 R 1,856

-17.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 R 1,348

$111 R 1,829

-26.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$439 R 7,235

$526 R 8,662

-16.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 R 5,271

$407 R 6,712

-21.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 R 10.3K

$1,091 R 18.0K

-42.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 R 11.7K

$900 R 14.8K

-21.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$678 R 11.2K

$1,029 R 17.0K

-34.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$747 R 12.3K

$748 R 12.3K

-0.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,770 R 29.2K

$1,750 R 28.8K

1.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alexandra: November 3, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alexandra

$320 30.4%

Johannesburg

$407 29% 27.3% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandra

$224 21.2%

Johannesburg

$304 21.6% 36.1% $81

Groceries & Markets

Alexandra

$194 18.4%

Johannesburg

$220 15.7% 13.3% $26

Eating Out

Alexandra

$140 13.3%

Johannesburg

$173 12.3% 23.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandra

$117 11.1%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 25.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandra

$48 4.6%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 8.6% $4.1

Getting Around

Alexandra

$11 * 1.1%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 814% $91

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $439 in Alexandra versus $526 in Johannesburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Alexandra versus $45 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $220 – making Alexandra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Alexandra

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

Same time as Alexandra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

179,624

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Alexandra Johannesburg 12 km

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Alexandra
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alexandra vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 33% more than Alexandra, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,581 per month in Alexandra and $2,110 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $439 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,054 in Alexandra and $1,406 in Johannesburg. That makes Alexandra about 25% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $243 per month in Alexandra and $247 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,054 in Alexandra and $1,406 in Johannesburg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,054 in Alexandra to $1,406 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.