Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Alexandra, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandra: $1,054 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Alexandra
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Alexandra Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Alexandra

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,054

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Alexandra

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Johannesburg and in Alexandra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,054 in Alexandra, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
Alexandra $1,054

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,664 in Alexandra, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Alexandra $1,664

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,275 in Alexandra, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,983
Alexandra $2,275

Johannesburg costs about 33% more than Alexandra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Alexandra is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 196

$9.05 R 150

31.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 741

$35.95 R 594

24.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 122

$5.31 R 87.8

39.36%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.45

$2.20 R 36.38

11.36%

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

$1.23 R 20.28

$1.06 R 17.54

16.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.26

$0.78 R 12.97

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.53

$2.45 R 40.47

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 45.28

$2.65 R 43.83

3.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.69

$1.18 R 19.43

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.80

$1.10 R 18.11

14.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.45

$1.71 R 28.28

0.58%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.51

$2.53 R 41.77

3.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 147

$8.25 R 136

7.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.8

$5.18 R 85.6

9.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 149

$7.29 R 121

24.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.29

$1.84 R 30.40

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.51

$1.67 R 27.54

14.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.78 R 29.50

2.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.88

$1.59 R 26.25

28.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.14

$1.08 R 17.80

57.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.84

$1.19 R 19.61

52.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 24.91

$1.23 R 20.35

22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.76

$1.30 R 21.52

-3.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.9

$3.31 R 54.6

5.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 100

$5.19 R 85.9

16.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.79

$1.51 R 24.96

19.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 38.13

$1.90 R 31.39

21.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.82

$1.80 R 29.70

-10.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.60

$0.31 R 5.16

164.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.15

$0.75 R 12.34

22.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 236

$14.54 R 240

-1.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.07

$1.51 R 24.99

0.66%

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

$35.4K R 585.2K

$35.8K R 591.4K

-1.06%

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

$34.7K R 574.2K

$34.0K R 561.5K

2.28%

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

$228 R 3,766

$150 R 2,476

52.09%

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

$38.51 R 637

$37.20 R 615

3.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 628

$36.55 R 604

4.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 584

$33.30 R 550

6.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 272

$11.56 R 191

42.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 140

$7.42 R 123

14.15%

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

$247 R 4,082

$243 R 4,016

1.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 127.7K

$6,039 R 99.8K

27.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 961

$52.9 R 874

9.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 732

$31.89 R 527

38.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,862

$93.4 R 1,543

20.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,835

$81.8 R 1,352

35.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,689

$439 R 7,257

19.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,732

$320 R 5,287

27.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 18.0K

$625 R 10.3K

74.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.9K

$710 R 11.7K

26.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 17.0K

$678 R 11.2K

51.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.4K

$747 R 12.3K

0.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.9K

$1,770 R 29.3K

-1.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Alexandra: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

Alexandra

$320 30.4% 21.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

Alexandra

$224 21.2% 26.5% $81

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

Alexandra

$194 18.4% 11.7% $26

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

Alexandra

$140 13.3% 19.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Alexandra

$117 11.1% 20.3% $30

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Alexandra

$11 * 1.1% 89.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Alexandra

$48 4.6% 7.9% $4.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Johannesburg versus $439 in Alexandra. 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 $45 in Johannesburg versus $36 in Alexandra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $194 – making Alexandra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Alexandra

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

179,624

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Johannesburg vs Alexandra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 33% more than Alexandra, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,110 per month in Johannesburg and $1,581 in Alexandra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alexandra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $439 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,054 in Alexandra. That makes Alexandra about 25% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Johannesburg and $243 in Alexandra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,054 in Alexandra. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,054 in Alexandra to $1,406 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.