Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeffreys Bay and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeffreys Bay: $1,045 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Jeffreys Bay
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Jeffreys Bay Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Jeffreys Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,045

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,045 in Jeffreys Bay versus $1,406 in Johannesburg.

Jeffreys Bay $1,045
Johannesburg $1,406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,628 in Jeffreys Bay versus $2,195 in Johannesburg.

Jeffreys Bay $1,628
Johannesburg $2,195

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,212 in Jeffreys Bay versus $2,983 in Johannesburg.

Jeffreys Bay $2,212
Johannesburg $2,983

Living in Jeffreys Bay costs roughly 26% less than in Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Jeffreys Bay is 23% below, Johannesburg is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.25 R 154

$11.88 R 198

-22.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.34 R 456

$44.83 R 747

-39.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 R 97.1

$7.40 R 123

-21.22%

Cappuccino

$1.82 R 30.37

$2.45 R 40.78

-25.71%

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

$0.77 R 12.85

$1.23 R 20.45

-37.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R 11.44

$0.92 R 15.38

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R 32.92

$2.45 R 40.86

-19.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 R 32.86

$2.74 R 45.64

-28.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.54

$1.31 R 21.87

-10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 R 17.46

$1.26 R 20.97

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.80

$1.72 R 28.68

-16.86%

Eggs

$2.79 R 46.54

$2.63 R 43.87

6.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.59 R 110

$8.87 R 148

-25.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 R 83.5

$5.68 R 94.6

-11.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 R 122

$9.04 R 151

-19.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.92

$2.07 R 34.57

1.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.49

$1.91 R 31.77

-23.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.92

$1.83 R 30.42

-11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.65

$2.05 R 34.16

-16.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.72

$1.70 R 28.37

-2.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.68

$1.81 R 30.09

-34.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.34

$1.51 R 25.11

-19.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 16.19

$1.26 R 20.93

-23.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 R 55.1

$3.50 R 58.4

-5.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.85 R 64.2

$6.07 R 101

-36.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.23

$1.80 R 30.03

-29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 R 29.85

$2.31 R 38.44

-22.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 R 27.64

$1.62 R 27.04

2.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,511

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 R 14.13

$0.82 R 13.71

3.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 R 8.18

$0.92 R 15.28

-46.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R 139

$14.30 R 238

-41.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.50

$1.52 R 25.28

-7.24%

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

$21.4K R 356.4K

$35.4K R 589.9K

-39.59%

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

$17.3K R 287.7K

$34.7K R 578.9K

-50.31%

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

$122 R 2,037

$228 R 3,796

-46.34%

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

$33.96 R 566

$38.51 R 642

-11.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.43 R 757

$38.02 R 634

19.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 R 538

$35.33 R 589

-8.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.06 R 101

$16.47 R 274

-63.21%

Cinema Ticket

$3.02 R 50.4

$8.47 R 141

-64.34%

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

$138 R 2,301

$247 R 4,115

-44.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,195 R 103.2K

$7,727 R 128.8K

-19.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 R 1,188

$58.1 R 969

22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 R 662

$44.29 R 738

-10.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,834

$113 R 1,877

-2.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 R 1,634

$111 R 1,850

-11.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,098

$526 R 8,759

-18.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 R 5,607

$407 R 6,787

-17.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 12.0K

$1,091 R 18.2K

-34.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 R 12.0K

$900 R 15.0K

-20.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$678 R 11.3K

$1,029 R 17.1K

-34.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$673 R 11.2K

$748 R 12.5K

-10.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 29.2K

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 Jeffreys Bay: November 2, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeffreys Bay

$336 32.2%

Johannesburg

$407 29% 21% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeffreys Bay

$202 19.3%

Johannesburg

$304 21.6% 50.9% $103

Groceries & Markets

Jeffreys Bay

$182 17.4%

Johannesburg

$220 15.7% 21.1% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Jeffreys Bay

$144 13.8%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 2.2% $3.1

Eating Out

Jeffreys Bay

$133 12.7%

Johannesburg

$173 12.3% 30% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Jeffreys Bay

$38 3.7%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 36.3% $14

Getting Around

Jeffreys Bay

$9.9 * 1%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 932% $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 $426 in Jeffreys Bay and $526 in Johannesburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Jeffreys Bay vs $45 in Johannesburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $182 vs $220 per month, with Jeffreys Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Jeffreys Bay

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

Same time as Jeffreys Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,107

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Jeffreys Bay Johannesburg 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jeffreys Bay
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

Jeffreys Bay vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeffreys Bay is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,567 in Jeffreys Bay and $2,110 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: $426 in Jeffreys Bay versus $526 in Johannesburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Johannesburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,045 per month in Jeffreys Bay versus $1,406 in Johannesburg – Jeffreys Bay is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Jeffreys Bay 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.