Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellville and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellville: $1,153 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
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Bellville Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bellville 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 Bellville and in Johannesburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,153 in Bellville versus $1,410 in Johannesburg.

Bellville $1,153
Johannesburg $1,410

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,785 in Bellville versus $2,182 in Johannesburg.

Bellville $1,785
Johannesburg $2,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,418 in Bellville versus $2,954 in Johannesburg.

Bellville $2,418
Johannesburg $2,954

Living in Bellville costs roughly 18% less than in Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bellville is 15% below, Johannesburg is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 R 204

$11.92 R 198

2.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.27 R 404

$44.33 R 738

-45.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 R 101

$7.42 R 124

-18.06%

Cappuccino

$1.96 R 32.61

$2.39 R 39.74

-17.99%

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

$1.36 R 22.59

$1.21 R 20.19

12.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.10

$0.96 R 15.91

7.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 R 37.04

$2.42 R 40.31

-7.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 61.1

$2.67 R 44.35

37.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.71

$1.29 R 21.52

6.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.97

$1.19 R 19.87

5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 R 36.69

$1.70 R 28.36

30.00%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.8

$2.75 R 45.76

13.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 R 151

$8.68 R 144

4.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 R 116

$5.56 R 92.6

25.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.79 R 163

$8.92 R 148

9.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.83

$2.08 R 34.58

-11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.58

$1.81 R 30.14

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.32

$1.73 R 28.82

1.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.47

$2.10 R 34.95

1.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.26

$1.70 R 28.35

-10.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.94

$1.79 R 29.70

-16.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 R 21.81

$1.49 R 24.79

-12.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.14

$1.23 R 20.53

-6.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 R 62.1

$3.48 R 58.0

7.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 R 104

$6.10 R 102

2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.54

$1.86 R 31.00

-27.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.64

$2.40 R 39.91

-10.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.78 R 29.69

-16.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,481

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.65

$0.81 R 13.52

-28.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.66

$0.87 R 14.45

70.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 R 84.7

$14.32 R 238

-64.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.67

$1.53 R 25.43

0.65%

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

$35.3K R 587.8K

$35.5K R 590.1K

-0.39%

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

$34.4K R 572.9K

$34.0K R 565.9K

1.25%

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

$119 R 1,985

$224 R 3,721

-46.65%

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

$28.93 R 481

$39.12 R 651

-26.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.84 R 663

$36.93 R 614

7.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.04 R 550

$35.49 R 590

-6.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 R 184

$17.43 R 290

-36.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.92 R 148

$8.29 R 138

7.60%

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

$266 R 4,432

$240 R 3,990

11.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,949 R 115.6K

$5,471 R 91.0K

27.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 R 947

$58.0 R 965

-1.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.09 R 534

$44.96 R 748

-28.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,989

$111 R 1,852

7.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,782

$113 R 1,872

-4.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 R 6,543

$526 R 8,756

-25.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 R 6,028

$419 R 6,979

-13.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-33.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 R 12.4K

$885 R 14.7K

-15.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$879 R 14.6K

$1,035 R 17.2K

-15.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$685 R 11.4K

$734 R 12.2K

-6.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.91

0.55%

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

Last update for Bellville: October 27, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bellville

$362 31.4%

Johannesburg

$419 29.8% 15.8% $57

Groceries & Markets

Bellville

$228 19.7%

Johannesburg

$218 15.5% 4.3% $9.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellville

$188 16.3%

Johannesburg

$300 21.3% 59.4% $112

Eating Out

Bellville

$168 14.6%

Johannesburg

$172 12.2% 2.8% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Bellville

$142 12.3%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 3.5% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Bellville

$51 4.4%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 2.3% $1.2

Getting Around

Bellville

$14 * 1.2%

Johannesburg

$101 7.2% 626% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Bellville and $526 in Johannesburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24 in Bellville vs $44 in Johannesburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $228 vs $218, with Johannesburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bellville

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

18:09 6:09 PM

Same time as Bellville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,507

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bellville Johannesburg 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellville
Johannesburg

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

Bellville vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellville wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Johannesburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bellville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,729 in Bellville and $2,115 in Johannesburg to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Bellville versus $526 in Johannesburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Johannesburg pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,153 per month in Bellville versus $1,410 in Johannesburg – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bellville is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bellville delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,153 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bellville hard to pass up.