Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Bellville

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellville: $1,101 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
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Bellville Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,101

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Bellville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,406 in Johannesburg versus $1,101 in Bellville.

Johannesburg $1,406
Bellville $1,101

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,195 in Johannesburg versus $1,704 in Bellville.

Johannesburg $2,195
Bellville $1,704

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Johannesburg versus $2,307 in Bellville.

Johannesburg $2,983
Bellville $2,307

Living in Johannesburg is roughly 28% more expensive than in Bellville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Johannesburg is 4% above, Bellville is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 195

$12.16 R 199

-2.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 736

$24.21 R 397

85.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 121

$6.17 R 101

19.94%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.15

$1.88 R 30.77

30.32%

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

$1.23 R 20.13

$1.32 R 21.69

-6.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.14

$0.93 R 15.30

-1.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.23

$2.24 R 36.78

9.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 44.94

$3.53 R 58.0

-22.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.53

$1.32 R 21.65

-0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.65

$1.22 R 20.02

3.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.24

$2.13 R 34.98

-19.25%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.19

$3.18 R 52.1

-17.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 146

$8.84 R 145

0.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.1

$6.70 R 110

-15.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 148

$9.30 R 153

-2.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.04

$1.92 R 31.50

7.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.28

$1.97 R 32.31

-3.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.95

$1.73 R 28.43

5.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.63

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 27.93

$1.55 R 25.49

9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.62

$1.47 R 24.18

23.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 24.73

$1.30 R 21.36

16.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.60

$1.19 R 19.56

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.5

$3.54 R 58.2

-1.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 99.6

$6.16 R 101

-1.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.57

$1.34 R 22.04

34.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 37.85

$2.12 R 34.77

8.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.62

$1.61 R 26.44

0.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.49

$0.86 R 14.16

-4.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.04

$0.85 R 13.96

8.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 235

$4.85 R 79.6

194.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 24.89

$1.61 R 26.40

-5.59%

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

$35.4K R 580.8K

$34.6K R 567.1K

2.42%

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

$34.7K R 570.0K

$33.1K R 543.8K

4.81%

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

$228 R 3,738

$119 R 1,949

91.73%

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

$38.51 R 632

$25.71 R 422

49.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 624

$40.82 R 670

-6.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 580

$34.14 R 560

3.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 270

$11.66 R 191

41.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 139

$9.26 R 152

-8.53%

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

$247 R 4,052

$299 R 4,911

-17.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 126.8K

$8,126 R 133.3K

-4.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 954

$57.4 R 942

1.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 727

$32.43 R 532

36.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,848

$119 R 1,953

-5.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,821

$101 R 1,664

9.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,624

$445 R 7,293

18.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,682

$322 R 5,290

26.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 17.9K

$811 R 13.3K

34.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.8K

$661 R 10.8K

36.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 16.9K

$789 R 12.9K

30.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.3K

$709 R 11.6K

5.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.89

0.18%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bellville: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

Bellville

$322 29.3% 20.8% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

Bellville

$185 16.8% 39.1% $119

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

Bellville

$224 20.3% 1.5% $3.4

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

Bellville

$166 15% 4.3% $7.4

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Bellville

$140 12.7% 4.8% $7.1

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Bellville

$12 * 1.1% 88.7% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Bellville

$53 4.8% 0.7% $0.4

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 $526 in Johannesburg and $445 in Bellville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45 in Johannesburg vs $24 in Bellville. Groceries flip the comparison at $220 vs $224, with Johannesburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Bellville

🕒 Local time

12:02 12:02 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

112,507

💱 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

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Between locations

Johannesburg Bellville 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
Bellville

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 Bellville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellville wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Johannesburg. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bellville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,110 in Johannesburg and $1,651 in Bellville 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: $526 in Johannesburg versus $445 in Bellville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,406 per month in Johannesburg versus $1,101 in Bellville – Bellville is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Bellville – a meal for two runs $24 versus $45 in Johannesburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bellville is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bellville delivers better value at $1,101 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bellville hard to pass up.