Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Athens

For one person, living is cheaper in Johannesburg: $1,406 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
Learn more

Athens Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Athens

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,406 in Johannesburg versus $1,806 in Athens.

Johannesburg $1,406
Athens $1,806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,192 in Johannesburg versus $2,731 in Athens.

Johannesburg $2,192
Athens $2,731

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,978 in Johannesburg versus $3,656 in Athens.

Johannesburg $2,978
Athens $3,656

Living in Johannesburg costs roughly 22% less than in Athens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Johannesburg 5% above, Athens 35% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 R 198

$16.66 €14.85

-28.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.08 R 731

$66.2 €59.0

-33.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 123

$11.06 €9.86

-33.00%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.89

$4.14 €3.69

-40.34%

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

$1.17 R 19.46

$2.80 €2.50

-58.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.49

$0.57 €0.51

52.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 R 37.50

$5.64 €5.03

-59.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 R 46.10

$5.46 €4.86

-49.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.23

$1.96 €1.74

-31.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 R 20.51

$1.41 €1.25

-12.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.49

$2.83 €2.53

-37.10%

Eggs

$2.64 R 43.82

$5.04 €4.49

-47.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 R 140

$15.35 €13.68

-45.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.36 R 88.9

$10.34 €9.22

-48.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$18.97 €16.92

-55.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.94

$2.17 €1.93

-5.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.81

$1.91 €1.70

-5.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.48

$1.38 €1.23

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.64

$2.20 €1.96

-7.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.38

$1.10 €0.98

55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.31

$1.13 €1.00

61.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 R 23.46

$1.10 €0.98

28.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.94

$0.83 €0.74

59.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 56.1

$5.60 €4.99

-39.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.99 R 99.3

$10.19 €9.08

-41.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.46

$2.18 €1.95

-15.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.49

$2.45 €2.18

-0.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 R 34.02

$1.38 €1.23

48.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 R 1,485

$30.87 €27.52

189.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.65

$4.37 €3.90

-81.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.49

$1.04 €0.93

-10.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 243

$17.11 €15.26

-14.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.90

$2.31 €2.06

-35.06%

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

$36.0K R 597.7K

$28.0K €24.9K

28.78%

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

$32.7K R 542.6K

$28.0K €25.0K

16.78%

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

$227 R 3,770

$210 €187

8.38%

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

$37.98 R 630

$26.70 €23.80

42.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.49 R 605

$30.13 €26.86

21.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.84 R 611

$54.6 €48.68

-32.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.39 R 288

$26.03 €23.21

-33.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.84 R 130

$10.78 €9.61

-27.27%

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

$238 R 3,951

$575 €513

-58.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,563 R 92.3K

$13.1K €11.7K

-57.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.6 R 972

$93.2 €83.1

-37.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.52 R 772

$40.68 €36.27

14.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,805

$104 €92.8

4.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,747

$128 €114

-17.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 R 8,220

$756 €674

-34.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 R 6,995

$652 €582

-35.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$979 R 16.2K

$1,294 €1,153

-24.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 R 14.8K

$1,163 €1,037

-23.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$964 R 16.0K

$4,008 €3,574

-75.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$757 R 12.5K

$3,452 €3,078

-78.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 R 29.1K

$1,243 €1,109

41.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

4.48

143.53%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 4, 2026

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$422 29.9%

Athens

$652 36.5% 54.7% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$302 21.4%

Athens

$267 14.9% 11.7% $35

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$216 15.3%

Athens

$315 17.6% 45.9% $99

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.2%

Athens

$269 15% 55.7% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.2%

Athens

$165 9.2% 14.7% $21

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Athens

$46 2.6% 55.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$53 3.7%

Athens

$76 4.3% 45% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $496 in Johannesburg and $756 in Athens. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johannesburg pays 41% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44.00 in Johannesburg vs $66.0 in Athens for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $315 per month, with Johannesburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇬🇷 Athens

🕒 Local time

04:19 4:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h ahead of Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

3,090,508 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Johannesburg Athens 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
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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 Athens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Johannesburg the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 41% higher in Johannesburg, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $496 in Johannesburg versus $756 in Athens. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Johannesburg – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,406 per month in Johannesburg versus $1,806 in Athens – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,406 in Johannesburg versus $1,806 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Johannesburg but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Johannesburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Johannesburg delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,406 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Johannesburg hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Johannesburg and Athens are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Johannesburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.