Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,430 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Johannesburg $1,430

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,960 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Johannesburg $2,960

Cape Town costs about 11% more than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Johannesburg sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Johannesburg by 6%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$11.98 R 197

1.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$43.02 R 709

5.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.12 R 117

-17.42%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.41 R 39.72

3.73%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.17 R 19.21

8.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.93 R 15.30

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.25 R 37.03

32.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.76 R 45.49

34.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.31 R 21.59

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.28 R 21.12

-2.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.72 R 28.37

29.65%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.63 R 43.34

18.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.47 R 140

6.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.47 R 90.0

26.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.80 R 145

5.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.12 R 34.89

-13.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.79 R 29.45

9.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.85 R 30.47

-9.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.12 R 34.99

2.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.74 R 28.61

-9.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.83 R 30.09

-19.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.43 R 23.53

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.33 R 21.99

-15.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.30 R 54.3

9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.91 R 97.3

4.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.81 R 29.89

-23.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.49 R 40.95

-14.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.01 R 33.11

-25.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$89.9 R 1,481

-32.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.83 R 13.62

-28.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.89 R 14.70

68.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$14.42 R 238

-64.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.49 R 24.51

4.03%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.2K R 579.4K

2.96%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$32.5K R 534.9K

-3.76%

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

$114 R 1,883

$233 R 3,841

-50.96%

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

$28.91 R 476

$37.52 R 618

-22.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$36.32 R 598

9.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$36.44 R 600

34.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$17.23 R 284

-36.22%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.66 R 126

19.45%

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

$259 R 4,264

$246 R 4,048

5.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$5,533 R 91.2K

22.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$58.4 R 963

-3.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$45.21 R 745

-28.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$110 R 1,817

9.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$105 R 1,734

2.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$493 R 8,127

106.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$435 R 7,160

64.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$985 R 16.2K

85.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$896 R 14.8K

48.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$967 R 15.9K

147.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$746 R 12.3K

106.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,738 R 28.6K

-5.71%

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 Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Johannesburg

$435 30.4% 39.4% $282

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Johannesburg

$218 15.3% 3% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Johannesburg

$307 21.5% 67.8% $124

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Johannesburg

$171 12% 2.8% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Johannesburg

$144 10.1% 0.6% $0.9

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Johannesburg

$103 7.2% 38% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Johannesburg

$52 3.6% 23.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $493 in Johannesburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Johannesburg, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $43.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $218 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

03:58 3:58 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

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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Between locations

Cape Town Johannesburg 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 11% more than Johannesburg, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,145 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johannesburg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,430 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 11%.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Johannesburg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Johannesburg, where all-in costs run around $1,430, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Johannesburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Johannesburg costs $1,430 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Johannesburg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.