Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Alexandra Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Alexandra

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 29.8% more expensive than Alexandra without rent, and 17.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 37% more expensive than Alexandra without rent, and 13.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Alexandra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.4 R 203
$8.28 R 147
37.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.89 R 798
$33.22 R 591
35.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.98 R 88.7
$4.79 R 85.3
3.97%
Cappuccino
$2.18 R 38.8
$2.09 R 37.21
4.31%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 18.45
$1.04 R 18.5
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.39
$0.76 R 13.47
-1.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.7 R 48.05
$2.26 R 40.2
19.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 45.29
$2.49 R 44.32
2.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Alexandra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.2 R 21.39
$1.19 R 21.1
0.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.1 R 19.5
$1.06 R 18.8
3.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 R 30.51
$1.59 R 28.25
8.18%
Eggs
$2.47 R 43.92
$2.46 R 43.67
0.41%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.04 R 143
$7.6 R 135
5.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.91 R 87.4
$4.49 R 79.9
9.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.75 R 120
$6.38 R 114
5.80%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 R 30.11
$1.67 R 29.75
1.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 R 27.16
$1.51 R 26.91
1.32%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.22
$1.47 R 26.09
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.14
$1.58 R 28.16
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 R 25.8
$1.31 R 23.25
10.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 R 24.78
$1.2 R 21.4
15.83%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 R 18.64
$1.09 R 19.44
-3.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 R 16.87
$0.88 R 15.59
7.95%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 R 54.1
$2.73 R 48.59
11.36%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.99 R 107
$5.26 R 93.6
13.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.31 R 23.24
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 R 29.74
$1.59 R 28.24
5.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Alexandra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.7 R 30.26
$1.67 R 29.71
1.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 R 1,265
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.48
$1.11 R 19.72
-0.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 R 16.73
$0.88 R 15.61
6.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.1 R 72.9
$3.16 R 56.2
29.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R 21.58
$1.28 R 22.84
-5.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K R 396.4K
$19.1K R 339.1K
16.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K R 433.4K
$23.8K R 423.1K
2.43%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Alexandra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 R 2,069
$119 R 2,114
-2.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.29 R 717
$37.68 R 670
6.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.05 R 748
$37.93 R 675
10.86%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Alexandra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.62 R 616
$30.68 R 546
12.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.93 R 248
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.23 R 129
$7.27 R 129
-0.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Alexandra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$206 R 3,665
$199 R 3,531
3.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,981 R 88.6K
$4,312 R 76.7K
15.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Alexandra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.6 R 899
$49.53 R 881
2.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.58 R 597
$32.16 R 572
4.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.2 R 1,621
$88.1 R 1,566
3.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 R 1,397
$79.6 R 1,415
-1.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Alexandra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$423 R 7,519
$370 R 6,588
14.13%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,592
$332 R 5,902
11.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$901 R 16K
$680 R 12.1K
32.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$692 R 12.3K
$678 R 12.1K
2.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,111 R 19.8K
$650 R 11.6K
71.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$748 R 13.3K
$579 R 10.3K
29.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Alexandra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,585 R 28.2K
$1,701 R 30.3K
-6.82%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
11.51
-

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 27, 2025

Last update for Alexandra: October 28, 2025

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