Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benoni and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,067 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,067

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Benoni versus $1,410 in Johannesburg.

Benoni $1,067
Johannesburg $1,410

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,318 in Benoni versus $2,182 in Johannesburg.

Benoni $1,318
Johannesburg $2,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,568 in Benoni versus $2,954 in Johannesburg.

Benoni $1,568
Johannesburg $2,954

Living in Benoni costs roughly 24% less than in Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Benoni is 22% below, Johannesburg is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.86 R 165

$11.92 R 199

-17.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.05 R 619

$44.33 R 740

-16.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 R 92.7

$7.42 R 124

-25.20%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 36.18

$2.39 R 39.88

-9.21%

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

$1.14 R 19.01

$1.21 R 20.26

-5.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 14.07

$0.96 R 15.96

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 39.50

$2.42 R 40.44

-2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R 45.88

$2.67 R 44.50

3.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 20.19

$1.29 R 21.59

-6.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.65

$1.19 R 19.93

-5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.80

$1.70 R 28.46

5.29%

Eggs

$2.49 R 41.48

$2.75 R 45.91

-9.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 R 137

$8.68 R 145

-5.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 R 80.9

$5.56 R 92.9

-12.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 R 119

$8.92 R 149

-20.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.01

$2.08 R 34.70

-16.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.70

$1.81 R 30.24

-11.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.61

$1.73 R 28.92

2.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 26.11

$2.10 R 35.07

-25.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.86

$1.70 R 28.44

-37.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R 19.58

$1.79 R 29.80

-34.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.32

$1.49 R 24.88

-18.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.64

$1.23 R 20.60

5.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.8

$3.48 R 58.2

1.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 83.0

$6.10 R 102

-18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 25.24

$1.86 R 31.10

-18.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R 33.10

$2.40 R 40.05

-17.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,486

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.80

$0.81 R 13.56

-64.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.55

$0.87 R 14.50

6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.37 R 240

$14.32 R 239

0.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.59

$1.53 R 25.52

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

$35.4K R 591.5K

$35.5K R 592.0K

-0.08%

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

$34.4K R 574.9K

$34.0K R 567.8K

1.25%

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

$197 R 3,291

$224 R 3,733

-11.85%

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

$39.26 R 655

$39.12 R 653

0.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.82 R 631

$36.93 R 616

2.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.81 R 297

$35.49 R 592

-49.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 R 291

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 R 119

$8.29 R 138

-13.75%

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

$246 R 4,105

$240 R 4,003

2.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,379 R 89.8K

$5,471 R 91.3K

-1.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 870

$58.0 R 968

-10.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.79 R 531

$44.96 R 750

-29.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 R 1,523

$111 R 1,858

-18.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 R 1,375

$113 R 1,879

-26.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 R 6,558

$526 R 8,786

-25.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 R 5,045

$419 R 7,003

-27.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 R 8,171

$1,099 R 18.3K

-55.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 R 14.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,035 R 17.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$734 R 12.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,000 R 33.4K

$1,709 R 28.5K

17.01%

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 Benoni: October 25, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benoni

$302 28.3%

Johannesburg

$419 29.8% 38.8% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benoni

$274 25.7%

Johannesburg

$300 21.3% 9.3% $25

Groceries & Markets

Benoni

$191 17.9%

Johannesburg

$218 15.5% 13.9% $27

Eating Out

Benoni

$147 13.8%

Johannesburg

$172 12.2% 17.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Benoni

$116 10.9%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 26.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Benoni

$32 3%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 62.2% $20

Getting Around

Benoni

$4.9 * 0.5%

Johannesburg

$101 7.2% 1951% $96

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 Benoni and $526 in Johannesburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Benoni vs $44 in Johannesburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $218 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Benoni

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

03:04 3:04 AM

Same time as Benoni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,777

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Benoni Johannesburg 26 km

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Benoni
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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

Benoni vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,067 in Benoni and $1,410 in Johannesburg, so Benoni is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Benoni, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Johannesburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,067 per month in Benoni versus $1,410 in Johannesburg – Benoni is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Benoni gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.