Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloemfontein and Johannesburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloemfontein and Johannesburg

🙂 Solo nomad: Bloemfontein is 10.3% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 20.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Bloemfontein is 3.6% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 19.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.99 R 195
$11.4 R 203
-3.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.55 R 668
$44.89 R 798
-16.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.5 R 116
$4.98 R 88.7
30.52%
Cappuccino
$1.83 R 32.48
$2.18 R 38.8
-16.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.57
$1.04 R 18.45
32.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.95 R 16.89
$0.75 R 13.39
26.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.34 R 41.62
$2.7 R 48.05
-13.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 R 40.64
$2.55 R 45.29
-10.59%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.94 R 16.72
$1.2 R 21.39
-21.67%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 R 16.72
$1.1 R 19.5
-14.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 R 35.1
$1.72 R 30.51
14.53%
Eggs
$1.98 R 35.29
$2.47 R 43.92
-19.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.9 R 123
$8.04 R 143
-14.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.71 R 83.8
$4.91 R 87.4
-4.07%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.97 R 124
$6.75 R 120
3.26%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.02
$1.69 R 30.11
-6.51%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 R 20.9
$1.53 R 27.16
-22.88%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.16
$1.47 R 26.22
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.33 R 23.68
$1.58 R 28.14
-15.82%
Potato (1kg)
$0.9 R 15.94
$1.45 R 25.8
-37.93%
Onion (1kg)
$1.65 R 29.29
$1.39 R 24.78
18.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 R 18.25
$1.05 R 18.64
-1.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 R 14.9
$0.95 R 16.87
-11.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.59 R 46.03
$3.04 R 54.1
-14.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.17 R 74.2
$5.99 R 107
-30.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.47 R 26.23
$1.31 R 23.23
12.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 R 26.84
$1.67 R 29.74
-9.58%
🚌 Getting Around
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.8 R 14.17
$1.7 R 30.26
-52.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$71.1 R 1,265
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.11 R 19.72
$1.1 R 19.48
0.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.66 R 11.75
$0.94 R 16.73
-29.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.08 R 72.6
$4.1 R 72.9
-0.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 R 22
$1.21 R 21.58
2.48%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.6K R 401.2K
$22.3K R 396.4K
1.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.7K R 440.2K
$24.4K R 433.4K
1.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$74.8 R 1,330
$116 R 2,069
-35.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.13 R 536
$40.29 R 717
-25.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.7 R 635
$42.05 R 748
-15.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.2 R 519
$34.62 R 616
-15.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$13.93 R 248
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.49 R 97.7
$7.23 R 129
-24.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$127 R 2,257
$206 R 3,665
-38.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,325 R 76.9K
$4,981 R 88.6K
-13.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 R 991
$50.6 R 899
10.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.97 R 551
$33.58 R 597
-7.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 R 2,268
$91.2 R 1,621
39.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$92.7 R 1,649
$78.5 R 1,397
18.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$290 R 5,151
$423 R 7,519
-31.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$293 R 5,218
$371 R 6,592
-20.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$485 R 8,617
$901 R 16K
-46.21%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$494 R 8,783
$692 R 12.3K
-28.62%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$464 R 8,243
$1,111 R 19.8K
-58.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$600 R 10.7K
$748 R 13.3K
-19.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bloemfontein
Johannesburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,255 R 22.3K
$1,585 R 28.2K
-20.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.47
11.51
-0.35%

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

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 28, 2025

Last update for Johannesburg: October 27, 2025

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