Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Benoni

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,067 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Benoni

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,410 in Johannesburg versus $1,067 in Benoni.

Johannesburg $1,410
Benoni $1,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,182 in Johannesburg versus $1,318 in Benoni.

Johannesburg $2,182
Benoni $1,318

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,954 in Johannesburg versus $1,568 in Benoni.

Johannesburg $2,954
Benoni $1,568

Living in Johannesburg is roughly 32% more expensive than in Benoni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Johannesburg is 4% above, Benoni is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.92 R 199

$9.86 R 165

20.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.33 R 740

$37.05 R 619

19.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 124

$5.55 R 92.7

33.69%

Cappuccino

$2.39 R 39.88

$2.17 R 36.18

10.14%

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

$1.21 R 20.26

$1.14 R 19.01

6.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.96

$0.84 R 14.07

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.44

$2.37 R 39.50

2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 R 44.50

$2.75 R 45.88

-2.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 R 21.59

$1.21 R 20.19

6.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.93

$1.12 R 18.65

6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.46

$1.79 R 29.80

-5.03%

Eggs

$2.75 R 45.91

$2.49 R 41.48

10.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 145

$8.18 R 137

6.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 R 92.9

$4.85 R 80.9

14.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 R 149

$7.12 R 119

25.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.70

$1.74 R 29.01

19.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.24

$1.60 R 26.70

13.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.92

$1.77 R 29.61

-2.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.07

$1.56 R 26.11

34.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.44

$1.07 R 17.86

58.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.80

$1.17 R 19.58

52.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.88

$1.22 R 20.32

22.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.60

$1.30 R 21.64

-5.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 R 58.2

$3.52 R 58.8

-1.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 R 102

$4.97 R 83.0

22.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 R 31.10

$1.51 R 25.24

23.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 R 40.05

$1.98 R 33.10

21.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,486

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.56

$0.29 R 4.80

179.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.50

$0.93 R 15.55

-6.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.32 R 239

$14.37 R 240

-0.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.52

$1.53 R 25.59

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

$35.5K R 592.0K

$35.4K R 591.5K

0.08%

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

$34.0K R 567.8K

$34.4K R 574.9K

-1.23%

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

$224 R 3,733

$197 R 3,291

13.45%

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

$39.12 R 653

$39.26 R 655

-0.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.93 R 616

$37.82 R 631

-2.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 R 592

$17.81 R 297

99.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 R 291

Cinema Ticket

$8.29 R 138

$7.15 R 119

15.94%

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

$240 R 4,003

$246 R 4,105

-2.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,471 R 91.3K

$5,379 R 89.8K

1.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 R 968

$52.1 R 870

11.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.96 R 750

$31.79 R 531

41.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,858

$91.2 R 1,523

22.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 R 1,879

$82.3 R 1,375

36.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,786

$393 R 6,558

33.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 R 7,003

$302 R 5,045

38.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$489 R 8,171

124.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 R 14.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,035 R 17.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$734 R 12.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.5K

$2,000 R 33.4K

-14.54%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Benoni: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$419 29.8%

Benoni

$302 28.3% 28% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$300 21.3%

Benoni

$274 25.7% 8.5% $25

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.5%

Benoni

$191 17.9% 12.2% $27

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$172 12.2%

Benoni

$147 13.8% 14.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Benoni

$116 10.9% 21.2% $31

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$101 7.2%

Benoni

$4.9 * 0.5% 95.1% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Benoni

$32 3% 38.3% $20

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 $393 in Benoni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $44 in Johannesburg vs $37 in Benoni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $191 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Benoni

🕒 Local time

03:55 3:55 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

158,777

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Johannesburg Benoni 26 km

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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 Benoni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,410 in Johannesburg and $1,067 in Benoni, so Benoni is about 24% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Johannesburg. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $526 in Johannesburg versus $393 in Benoni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Johannesburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,410 per month in Johannesburg versus $1,067 in Benoni – Benoni is about 24% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Benoni gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.