Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hillcrest and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
Learn more

Hillcrest Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
Learn more

Johannesburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,081 per month in Hillcrest vs $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,081
Johannesburg $1,406

A couple spends around $1,686 per month in Hillcrest vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,686
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Hillcrest vs $2,983 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Hillcrest $2,292
Johannesburg $2,983

Hillcrest is about 23% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Hillcrest sits 20% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 R 131

$11.88 R 198

-33.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.34 R 639

$44.83 R 747

-14.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.01 R 100

$7.40 R 123

-18.78%

Cappuccino

$2.71 R 45.23

$2.45 R 40.78

10.61%

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

$1.14 R 18.99

$1.23 R 20.45

-7.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.94

$0.92 R 15.38

-2.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.86

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R 41.69

$2.74 R 45.64

-8.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$1.31 R 21.87

-9.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.38

$1.26 R 20.97

-22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.97

$1.72 R 28.68

-12.79%

Eggs

$2.32 R 38.70

$2.63 R 43.87

-11.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R 136

$8.87 R 148

-7.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 R 84.1

$5.68 R 94.6

-11.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 R 121

$9.04 R 151

-19.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 R 21.55

$2.07 R 34.57

-37.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 32.09

$1.91 R 31.77

1.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.43

$1.83 R 30.42

6.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.87

$2.05 R 34.16

-15.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.36

$1.70 R 28.37

-14.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 R 24.04

$1.81 R 30.09

-20.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.08

$1.51 R 25.11

-19.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 19.01

$1.26 R 20.93

-9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.7

$3.50 R 58.4

6.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 79.9

$6.07 R 101

-20.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.46

$1.80 R 30.03

-21.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.70

$2.31 R 38.44

-15.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.58

$1.62 R 27.04

-4.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,511

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.25

$0.82 R 13.71

-46.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.79

$0.92 R 15.28

-22.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 R 128

$14.30 R 238

-46.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.22

$1.52 R 25.28

-4.61%

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

$35.2K R 586.7K

$35.4K R 589.9K

-0.54%

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

$33.1K R 550.8K

$34.7K R 578.9K

-4.86%

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

$153 R 2,550

$228 R 3,796

-32.83%

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

$35.61 R 593

$38.51 R 642

-7.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.04 R 651

$38.02 R 634

2.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 R 550

$35.33 R 589

-6.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.55 R 226

$16.47 R 274

-17.73%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 122

$8.47 R 141

-13.93%

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

$310 R 5,172

$247 R 4,115

25.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 R 123.8K

$7,727 R 128.8K

-3.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 R 860

$58.1 R 969

-11.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.96 R 466

$44.29 R 738

-36.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 R 1,616

$113 R 1,877

-13.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 R 1,319

$111 R 1,850

-28.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 R 6,276

$526 R 8,759

-28.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,876

$407 R 6,787

-13.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R 10.7K

$1,091 R 18.2K

-41.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.2K

$900 R 15.0K

-18.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.7K

$1,029 R 17.1K

-25.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,578

$748 R 12.5K

-23.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 29.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.91

7.97%

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

Last update for Hillcrest: 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

Hillcrest

$353 32.6%

Johannesburg

$407 29% 15.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hillcrest

$228 21.1%

Johannesburg

$304 21.6% 33.7% $77

Groceries & Markets

Hillcrest

$189 17.5%

Johannesburg

$220 15.7% 16.3% $31

Eating Out

Hillcrest

$139 12.9%

Johannesburg

$173 12.3% 24.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Hillcrest

$115 10.6%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 27.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Hillcrest

$48 4.4%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 9.9% $4.7

Getting Around

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 915% $92

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Hillcrest versus $526 in Johannesburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest versus $45 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $220 – making Hillcrest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

Same time as Hillcrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.35 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.35 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hillcrest Johannesburg 480 km

From you

Hillcrest
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

Hillcrest vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,081 in Hillcrest, $1,406 in Johannesburg – Hillcrest comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,622 per month in Hillcrest and $2,110 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest and $45 in Johannesburg. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Johannesburg, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,081 in Hillcrest and $1,406 in Johannesburg, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hillcrest costs $1,081 versus $1,406 in Johannesburg. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.