Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hermanus and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermanus: $1,144 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Hermanus
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Hermanus Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Hermanus

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,144

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,144 in Hermanus versus $1,428 in Johannesburg.

Hermanus $1,144
Johannesburg $1,428

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,768 in Hermanus versus $2,226 in Johannesburg.

Hermanus $1,768
Johannesburg $2,226

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,393 in Hermanus versus $3,023 in Johannesburg.

Hermanus $2,393
Johannesburg $3,023

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Hermanus is 16% below, Johannesburg is 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.26 R 219

$12.35 R 204

7.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.96 R 592

$46.17 R 761

-22.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.71 R 94.2

$7.42 R 122

-23.05%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R 37.92

$2.45 R 40.29

-6.12%

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

$1.09 R 17.91

$1.28 R 21.09

-14.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.78

$0.92 R 15.08

-8.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 R 41.10

$2.36 R 38.87

5.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 R 48.94

$2.82 R 46.43

5.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 R 19.09

$1.37 R 22.51

-15.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.64

$1.26 R 20.81

-10.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.76

$1.72 R 28.37

-9.30%

Eggs

$2.44 R 40.13

$2.76 R 45.42

-11.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.12 R 150

$8.96 R 148

1.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R 83.6

$5.74 R 94.5

-11.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.83 R 129

$9.17 R 151

-14.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.83

$2.12 R 35.00

-11.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.76

$1.87 R 30.87

-10.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.71

$1.83 R 30.17

-4.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.37

$2.06 R 33.92

-19.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.91

$1.68 R 27.63

-13.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.88

$1.79 R 29.44

-18.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 17.78

$1.47 R 24.22

-26.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 R 18.51

$1.31 R 21.66

-14.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.23 R 53.2

$3.53 R 58.2

-8.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 R 117

$5.93 R 97.7

20.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 R 24.05

$1.85 R 30.49

-21.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R 31.28

$2.33 R 38.34

-18.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 R 28.48

$2.06 R 33.90

-16.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.80

$0.88 R 14.54

-32.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R 13.32

$0.87 R 14.41

-6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.61 R 175

$14.78 R 243

-28.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.50

$1.53 R 25.23

-2.61%

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

$30.5K R 502.6K

$35.7K R 588.6K

-14.61%

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

$32.0K R 526.7K

$35.2K R 580.5K

-9.27%

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

$150 R 2,479

$227 R 3,743

-33.76%

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

$34.84 R 574

$39.37 R 649

-11.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.02 R 676

$37.62 R 620

9.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.33 R 351

$37.85 R 624

-43.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.74 R 226

$17.16 R 283

-19.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.93 R 97.8

$8.43 R 139

-29.66%

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

$280 R 4,612

$248 R 4,089

12.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,794 R 95.5K

$5,491 R 90.5K

5.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 R 880

$60.2 R 991

-11.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.31 R 549

$45.06 R 742

-26.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,649

$112 R 1,846

-10.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.6 R 1,459

$112 R 1,849

-21.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 R 6,409

$519 R 8,550

-25.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 R 6,129

$416 R 6,861

-10.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 R 12.0K

$1,068 R 17.6K

-31.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.2K

$903 R 14.9K

-17.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$872 R 14.4K

$1,038 R 17.1K

-15.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$682 R 11.2K

$763 R 12.6K

-10.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.91

0.27%

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

Last update for Hermanus: October 19, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hermanus

$372 32.5%

Johannesburg

$416 29.2% 11.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hermanus

$226 19.8%

Johannesburg

$304 21.3% 34.4% $78

Groceries & Markets

Hermanus

$200 17.5%

Johannesburg

$223 15.6% 11.3% $23

Eating Out

Hermanus

$177 15.5%

Johannesburg

$177 12.4% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Hermanus

$124 10.8%

Johannesburg

$148 10.4% 19.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Hermanus

$33 2.9%

Johannesburg

$55 3.8% 64.8% $22

Getting Around

Hermanus

$12 * 1%

Johannesburg

$105 7.4% 810% $94

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 $389 in Hermanus and $519 in Johannesburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36.00 in Hermanus vs $46.00 in Johannesburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $223 per month, with Hermanus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hermanus

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

Same time as Hermanus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,139

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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Between locations

Hermanus Johannesburg 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Hermanus
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

Hermanus vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hermanus is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,716 in Hermanus and $2,142 in Johannesburg to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $389 in Hermanus versus $519 in Johannesburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Johannesburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,144 per month in Hermanus versus $1,428 in Johannesburg – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,144 in Hermanus versus $1,428 in Johannesburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hermanus but tight or insufficient in Johannesburg. The gap between the two cities makes Hermanus the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Hermanus is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Johannesburg, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Hermanus 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 Hermanus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Johannesburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.