Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Amersfoort, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Amersfoort: $1,073 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
Learn more

Johannesburg Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Amersfoort
Learn more

Amersfoort Living Index

Jump to prices

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Amersfoort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Amersfoort

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 Amersfoort actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,073 in Amersfoort, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
Amersfoort $1,073

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,628 in Amersfoort, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Amersfoort $1,628

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,182 in Amersfoort, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,983
Amersfoort $2,182

Johannesburg costs about 31% more than Amersfoort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Amersfoort is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 195

$8.82 R 145

34.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 736

$36.20 R 594

23.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 121

$5.21 R 85.4

42.03%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.15

$2.29 R 37.50

6.99%

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

$1.23 R 20.13

$1.03 R 16.82

19.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.14

$0.78 R 12.84

17.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.23

$2.37 R 38.96

3.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 44.94

$3.41 R 55.9

-19.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.53

$1.18 R 19.41

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.65

$1.09 R 17.87

15.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.24

$1.77 R 29.12

-2.82%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.19

$2.34 R 38.33

12.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 146

$4.20 R 68.9

111.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.1

$5.14 R 84.3

10.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 148

$4.34 R 71.2

108.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.04

$1.87 R 30.64

10.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.28

$1.68 R 27.54

13.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.95

$1.79 R 29.32

2.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.63

$1.57 R 25.83

30.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 27.93

$1.11 R 18.25

53.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.62

$1.18 R 19.41

53.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 24.73

$1.23 R 20.19

22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.60

$1.31 R 21.54

-3.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.5

$1.42 R 23.27

146.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 99.6

$1.91 R 31.29

217.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.57

$1.50 R 24.55

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 37.85

$1.98 R 32.55

16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.62

$1.66 R 27.27

-2.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.49

$0.31 R 5.12

164.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.04

$0.74 R 12.18

24.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 235

$14.41 R 236

-0.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 24.89

$1.60 R 26.18

-5.00%

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

$35.4K R 580.8K

$35.7K R 585.5K

-0.80%

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

$34.7K R 570.0K

$35.1K R 576.5K

-1.13%

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

$228 R 3,738

$149 R 2,438

53.34%

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

$38.51 R 632

$36.32 R 596

6.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 624

$37.09 R 609

2.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 580

$36.17 R 594

-2.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 270

$12.17 R 200

35.33%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 139

$7.32 R 120

15.71%

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

$247 R 4,052

$262 R 4,305

-5.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 126.8K

$6,158 R 101.0K

25.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 954

$53.6 R 879

8.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 727

$32.03 R 526

38.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,848

$92.7 R 1,522

21.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,821

$81.5 R 1,337

36.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,624

$383 R 6,282

37.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,682

$367 R 6,021

10.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 17.9K

$628 R 10.3K

73.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.8K

$677 R 11.1K

32.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 16.9K

$811 R 13.3K

26.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.3K

$761 R 12.5K

-1.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.34

-3.79%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Amersfoort: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

Amersfoort

$367 34.2% 9.9% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

Amersfoort

$222 20.7% 27.1% $82

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

Amersfoort

$167 15.5% 24.4% $54

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

Amersfoort

$140 13% 19.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Amersfoort

$117 10.9% 20.3% $30

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Amersfoort

$11 * 1% 89.6% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Amersfoort

$51 4.7% 2.8% $1.5

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 $383 in Amersfoort. 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 Amersfoort. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $167 – making Amersfoort the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Amersfoort

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

12,335

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johannesburg Amersfoort 200 km

From you

Johannesburg
Amersfoort

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 Amersfoort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 31% more than Amersfoort, 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 $1,610 in Amersfoort. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Amersfoort, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $383 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Johannesburg and $36 in Amersfoort. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Johannesburg, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,073 in Amersfoort. 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 $1,073 in Amersfoort to $1,406 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.