Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grahamstown and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Grahamstown: $1,120 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Grahamstown
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Grahamstown Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Grahamstown

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,120 in Grahamstown versus $1,406 in Johannesburg.

Grahamstown $1,120
Johannesburg $1,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,775 in Grahamstown versus $2,195 in Johannesburg.

Grahamstown $1,775
Johannesburg $2,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,430 in Grahamstown versus $2,983 in Johannesburg.

Grahamstown $2,430
Johannesburg $2,983

Living in Grahamstown costs roughly 20% less than in Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Grahamstown is 17% below, Johannesburg is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.93 R 182

$11.88 R 198

-8.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.85 R 697

$44.83 R 747

-6.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 R 101

$7.40 R 123

-18.38%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 36.20

$2.45 R 40.78

-11.43%

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

$1.05 R 17.45

$1.23 R 20.45

-14.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.97

$0.92 R 15.38

-21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 R 45.80

$2.45 R 40.86

12.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 R 51.7

$2.74 R 45.64

13.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.55

$1.31 R 21.87

-10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.67

$1.26 R 20.97

-20.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.75

$1.72 R 28.68

-13.37%

Eggs

$2.72 R 45.36

$2.63 R 43.87

3.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 R 142

$8.87 R 148

-4.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.34 R 89.1

$5.68 R 94.6

-5.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.25 R 137

$9.04 R 151

-8.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 R 35.92

$2.07 R 34.57

4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.31

$1.91 R 31.77

-20.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.18

$1.83 R 30.42

-10.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.76

$2.05 R 34.16

-12.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 28.02

$1.70 R 28.37

-1.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.90

$1.81 R 30.09

-24.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.39

$1.51 R 25.11

-19.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R 16.84

$1.26 R 20.93

-19.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 R 54.3

$3.50 R 58.4

-6.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 79.0

$6.07 R 101

-21.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.16

$1.80 R 30.03

-29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 R 29.87

$2.31 R 38.44

-22.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.84

$1.62 R 27.04

-8.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,511

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 R 14.18

$0.82 R 13.71

3.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.67

$0.92 R 15.28

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.54 R 142

$14.30 R 238

-40.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.87

$1.52 R 25.28

-1.97%

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

$34.6K R 576.9K

$35.4K R 589.9K

-2.21%

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

$35.2K R 587.2K

$34.7K R 578.9K

1.44%

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

$121 R 2,013

$228 R 3,796

-46.97%

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

$34.27 R 571

$38.51 R 642

-11.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.91 R 748

$38.02 R 634

18.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.56 R 593

$35.33 R 589

0.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.03 R 184

$16.47 R 274

-33.03%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 R 175

$8.47 R 141

23.73%

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

$175 R 2,924

$247 R 4,115

-28.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,021 R 83.7K

$7,727 R 128.8K

-35.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 R 1,186

$58.1 R 969

22.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 R 649

$44.29 R 738

-12.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,849

$113 R 1,877

-1.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 R 1,630

$111 R 1,850

-11.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R 6,577

$526 R 8,759

-24.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 R 5,944

$407 R 6,787

-12.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 R 12.4K

$1,091 R 18.2K

-32.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.4K

$900 R 15.0K

-17.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$727 R 12.1K

$1,029 R 17.1K

-29.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$741 R 12.3K

$748 R 12.5K

-0.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 R 20.1K

$1,750 R 29.2K

-31.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

10.91

9.44%

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

Last update for Grahamstown: November 1, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grahamstown

$357 31.9%

Johannesburg

$407 29% 14.2% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grahamstown

$200 17.9%

Johannesburg

$304 21.6% 52.2% $104

Groceries & Markets

Grahamstown

$195 17.4%

Johannesburg

$220 15.7% 12.8% $25

Eating Out

Grahamstown

$159 14.2%

Johannesburg

$173 12.3% 9% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Grahamstown

$144 12.8%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 2.3% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Grahamstown

$57 5.1%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 7.5% $4.2

Getting Around

Grahamstown

$9.1 * 0.8%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 1026% $93

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 $395 in Grahamstown and $526 in Johannesburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johannesburg pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Grahamstown vs $45 in Johannesburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $220 per month, with Grahamstown cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Grahamstown

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

Same time as Grahamstown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,264

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Grahamstown Johannesburg 800 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Grahamstown
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

Grahamstown vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grahamstown wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Johannesburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Grahamstown the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Grahamstown. 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: $395 in Grahamstown versus $526 in Johannesburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 13% higher in Johannesburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,120 per month in Grahamstown versus $1,406 in Johannesburg – Grahamstown is about 20% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Grahamstown is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Grahamstown wins on affordability, Johannesburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.