Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Johannesburg

For one person, living costs are similar in Centurion and in Johannesburg: $1,377 and $1,430 a month, rent and utilities included.

67

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,377

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,377 in Centurion versus $1,430 in Johannesburg.

Centurion $1,377
Johannesburg $1,430

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,224 in Centurion versus $2,195 in Johannesburg.

Centurion $2,224
Johannesburg $2,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,071 in Centurion versus $2,960 in Johannesburg.

Centurion $3,071
Johannesburg $2,960

Living in Centurion costs roughly 4% less than in Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Centurion 2% above, Johannesburg 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.13 R 365

$11.98 R 197

84.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.73 R 671

$43.02 R 709

-5.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 R 95.0

$7.12 R 117

-19.10%

Cappuccino

$2.57 R 42.33

$2.41 R 39.72

6.64%

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

$0.94 R 15.52

$1.17 R 19.21

-19.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.35

$0.93 R 15.30

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 R 34.57

$2.25 R 37.03

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 40.42

$2.76 R 45.49

-11.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.27

$1.31 R 21.59

-6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 R 20.11

$1.28 R 21.12

-4.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.83

$1.72 R 28.37

26.16%

Eggs

$3.07 R 50.6

$2.63 R 43.34

16.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.79 R 161

$8.47 R 140

15.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.47 R 90.0

26.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 R 120

$8.80 R 145

-17.16%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 R 29.92

$2.12 R 34.89

-14.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.64

$1.79 R 29.45

0.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.88

$1.85 R 30.47

14.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.20

$2.12 R 34.99

-1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.98

$1.74 R 28.61

-12.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.44

$1.83 R 30.09

1.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.24

$1.43 R 23.53

-5.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 R 23.99

$1.33 R 21.99

9.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 R 62.1

$3.30 R 54.3

14.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 R 97.1

$5.91 R 97.3

-0.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 26.20

$1.81 R 29.89

-12.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 R 33.27

$2.49 R 40.95

-18.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 R 40.75

$2.01 R 33.11

22.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.9 R 1,613

$89.9 R 1,481

8.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.14

$0.83 R 13.62

46.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 R 20.20

$0.89 R 14.70

38.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.89 R 146

$14.42 R 238

-38.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.75

$1.49 R 24.51

0.67%

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

$35.9K R 591.7K

$35.2K R 579.4K

2.12%

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

$32.1K R 528.7K

$32.5K R 534.9K

-1.16%

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

$137 R 2,260

$233 R 3,841

-41.14%

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

$30.65 R 505

$37.52 R 618

-18.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.07 R 660

$36.32 R 598

10.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.79 R 721

$36.44 R 600

20.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 R 284

Cinema Ticket

$10.73 R 177

$7.66 R 126

40.08%

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

$314 R 5,174

$246 R 4,048

27.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,299 R 70.8K

$5,533 R 91.2K

-22.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 R 965

$58.4 R 963

0.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.75 R 721

$45.21 R 745

-3.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 R 1,925

$110 R 1,817

5.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 R 1,699

$105 R 1,734

-2.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$345 R 5,689

$493 R 8,127

-30.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,115

$435 R 7,160

-14.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 R 9,479

$985 R 16.2K

-41.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 R 14.8K

-0.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$518 R 8,536

$967 R 15.9K

-46.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$612 R 10.1K

$746 R 12.3K

-18.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,342 R 38.6K

$1,738 R 28.6K

34.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

10.91

-3.76%

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

Last update for Centurion: 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

Centurion

$371 27%

Johannesburg

$435 30.4% 17.1% $63

Eating Out

Centurion

$248 18%

Johannesburg

$171 12% 30.9% $77

Groceries & Markets

Centurion

$225 16.3%

Johannesburg

$218 15.3% 3% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centurion

$208 15.1%

Johannesburg

$307 21.5% 47.6% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Centurion

$145 10.5%

Johannesburg

$144 10.1% 1% $1.4

Getting Around

Centurion

$115 8.4%

Johannesburg

$103 7.2% 10.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Centurion

$65 4.7%

Johannesburg

$52 3.6% 20.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $345 in Centurion and $493 in Johannesburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $41.00 in Centurion vs $43.00 in Johannesburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $225 vs $218, with Johannesburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Centurion

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

05:08 5:08 AM

Same time as Centurion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,580

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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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

Centurion vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in Johannesburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Centurion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 35% higher in Centurion, 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: $345 in Centurion versus $493 in Johannesburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Centurion runs roughly 9% less than in Johannesburg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $314 in Centurion versus $246 in Johannesburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,377 in Centurion versus $1,430 in Johannesburg, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Centurion but tight or insufficient in Johannesburg. The gap between the two cities makes Centurion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Centurion delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,377 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Centurion and Johannesburg are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Centurion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Johannesburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.