Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boksburg and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Boksburg: $1,231 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
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Boksburg Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,231

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,231 in Boksburg versus $1,428 in Johannesburg.

Boksburg $1,231
Johannesburg $1,428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,912 in Boksburg versus $2,226 in Johannesburg.

Boksburg $1,912
Johannesburg $2,226

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,594 in Boksburg versus $3,023 in Johannesburg.

Boksburg $2,594
Johannesburg $3,023

Living in Boksburg costs roughly 14% less than in Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Boksburg is 9% below, Johannesburg is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 R 197

$12.35 R 204

-3.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.26 R 746

$46.17 R 761

-1.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 R 87.2

$7.42 R 122

-28.71%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R 37.63

$2.45 R 40.29

-6.94%

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

$1.09 R 18.02

$1.28 R 21.09

-14.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 R 13.10

$0.92 R 15.08

-14.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 R 40.50

$2.36 R 38.87

4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 R 46.16

$2.82 R 46.43

-0.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.84

$1.37 R 22.51

1.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 R 19.29

$1.26 R 20.81

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.64

$1.72 R 28.37

4.65%

Eggs

$2.69 R 44.29

$2.76 R 45.42

-2.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$8.96 R 148

-2.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.34 R 88.0

$5.74 R 94.5

-6.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 149

$9.17 R 151

-1.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.44

$2.12 R 35.00

-12.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.79

$1.87 R 30.87

-12.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.27

$1.83 R 30.17

-2.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 R 29.96

$2.06 R 33.92

-11.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.52

$1.68 R 27.63

2.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.41

$1.79 R 29.44

3.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.19

$1.47 R 24.22

-16.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.10

$1.31 R 21.66

2.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 R 54.2

$3.53 R 58.2

-6.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.25 R 103

$5.93 R 97.7

5.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R 25.26

$1.85 R 30.49

-17.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 31.99

$2.33 R 38.34

-16.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.76

$0.88 R 14.54

-67.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 R 12.64

$0.87 R 14.41

-11.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.80 R 244

$14.78 R 243

0.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.78

$1.53 R 25.23

-1.96%

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

$36.3K R 597.4K

$35.7K R 588.6K

1.49%

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

$35.1K R 577.8K

$35.2K R 580.5K

-0.47%

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

$229 R 3,771

$227 R 3,743

0.74%

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

$39.28 R 647

$39.37 R 649

-0.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.37 R 616

$37.62 R 620

-0.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.76 R 474

$37.85 R 624

-24.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

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

$248 R 4,083

$248 R 4,089

-0.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,431 R 89.5K

$5,491 R 90.5K

-1.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 R 879

$60.2 R 991

-11.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.82 R 755

$45.06 R 742

1.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 R 1,731

$112 R 1,846

-6.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 R 1,856

$112 R 1,849

0.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 R 5,381

$519 R 8,550

-37.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 R 5,857

$416 R 6,861

-14.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 R 11.0K

$1,068 R 17.6K

-37.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$776 R 12.8K

$903 R 14.9K

-14.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$882 R 14.5K

$1,716 R 28.3K

-48.64%

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 Boksburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boksburg

$356 28.9%

Johannesburg

$416 29.2% 17.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boksburg

$306 24.8%

Johannesburg

$304 21.3% 0.4% $1.3

Groceries & Markets

Boksburg

$213 17.3%

Johannesburg

$223 15.6% 4.8% $10

Eating Out

Boksburg

$165 13.4%

Johannesburg

$177 12.4% 7.3% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Boksburg

$143 11.6%

Johannesburg

$148 10.4% 4% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Boksburg

$46 3.7%

Johannesburg

$55 3.8% 19.9% $9.1

Getting Around

Boksburg

$4.1 * 0.3%

Johannesburg

$105 7.4% 2444% $101

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 $327 in Boksburg and $519 in Johannesburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johannesburg pays 95% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Boksburg vs $46.00 in Johannesburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $223 per month, with Boksburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

Same time as Boksburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

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

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Boksburg Johannesburg 21 km

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Boksburg
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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

Boksburg vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Boksburg and Johannesburg differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,231 vs $1,428 including rent). Boksburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 95% lower in Johannesburg. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $327 in Boksburg versus $519 in Johannesburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Johannesburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,231 per month in Boksburg versus $1,428 in Johannesburg – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,231 in Boksburg versus $1,428 in Johannesburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boksburg but tight or insufficient in Johannesburg. The gap between the two cities makes Boksburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Boksburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Johannesburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.