Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Howick and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,081 a month against $1,410 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 Howick
Learn more

Howick Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
Learn more

Johannesburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,081 in Howick versus $1,410 in Johannesburg.

Howick $1,081
Johannesburg $1,410

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,676 in Howick versus $2,182 in Johannesburg.

Howick $1,676
Johannesburg $2,182

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,271 in Howick versus $2,954 in Johannesburg.

Howick $2,271
Johannesburg $2,954

Living in Howick costs roughly 23% less than in Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Howick is 21% below, Johannesburg is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.03 R 133

$11.92 R 198

-32.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.85 R 645

$44.33 R 736

-12.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 R 91.3

$7.42 R 123

-25.88%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 44.23

$2.39 R 39.68

11.30%

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

$1.09 R 18.19

$1.21 R 20.15

-9.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.32

$0.96 R 15.89

-4.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 R 39.69

$2.42 R 40.24

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R 41.80

$2.67 R 44.27

-5.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 20.08

$1.29 R 21.49

-6.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.30

$1.19 R 19.83

-17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.92

$1.70 R 28.32

-8.24%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.88

$2.75 R 45.69

-14.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 R 137

$8.68 R 144

-5.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 R 87.7

$5.56 R 92.4

-5.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 R 120

$8.92 R 148

-19.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 R 33.03

$2.08 R 34.53

-4.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.24

$1.81 R 30.09

3.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 R 31.86

$1.73 R 28.77

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.22

$2.10 R 34.90

-19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.70 R 28.30

-12.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.33

$1.79 R 29.65

-18.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.17

$1.49 R 24.75

-18.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.78

$1.23 R 20.50

-3.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 R 61.1

$3.48 R 57.9

5.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.84 R 80.4

$6.10 R 101

-20.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R 24.15

$1.86 R 30.95

-22.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 31.23

$2.40 R 39.85

-21.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.52

$1.78 R 29.64

-13.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,479

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 R 7.49

$0.81 R 13.50

-44.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.41

$0.87 R 14.42

-13.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.56 R 126

$14.32 R 238

-47.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.68

$1.53 R 25.39

-10.46%

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

$36.1K R 600.3K

$35.5K R 589.1K

1.90%

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

$33.1K R 550.2K

$34.0K R 565.0K

-2.61%

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

$150 R 2,491

$224 R 3,715

-32.95%

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

$15.25 R 253

$39.12 R 650

-61.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 R 667

$36.93 R 613

8.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.93 R 530

$35.49 R 590

-10.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 183

$17.43 R 290

-36.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 R 118

$8.29 R 138

-14.48%

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

$309 R 5,141

$240 R 3,984

29.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,814 R 129.8K

$5,471 R 90.9K

42.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 R 899

$58.0 R 963

-6.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.61 R 508

$44.96 R 747

-31.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 R 1,636

$111 R 1,849

-11.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,400

$113 R 1,869

-25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R 6,567

$526 R 8,742

-24.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 R 6,078

$419 R 6,968

-12.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.2K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-33.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.2K

$885 R 14.7K

-17.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$868 R 14.4K

$1,035 R 17.2K

-16.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$675 R 11.2K

$734 R 12.2K

-8.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.4K

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 Howick: October 25, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Howick

$366 33.9%

Johannesburg

$419 29.8% 14.6% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Howick

$205 19%

Johannesburg

$300 21.3% 45.9% $94

Groceries & Markets

Howick

$195 18%

Johannesburg

$218 15.5% 11.8% $23

Eating Out

Howick

$138 12.8%

Johannesburg

$172 12.2% 25.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Howick

$120 11.1%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 22.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Howick

$46 4.3%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 12.9% $6

Getting Around

Howick

$10 * 1%

Johannesburg

$101 7.2% 881% $91

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

Dining out: $39 in Howick vs $44 in Johannesburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $218 per month, with Howick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Howick

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

Same time as Howick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,453

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Howick Johannesburg 420 km

From you

Howick
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

Howick vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howick is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,621 in Howick and $2,115 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: $395 in Howick versus $526 in Johannesburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $309 in Howick versus $240 in Johannesburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howick – a meal for two runs $39 versus $44 in Johannesburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.