Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Bloemfontein

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 7.5% more expensive than Bloemfontein without rent, and 22.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 28.8% more expensive than Bloemfontein without rent, and 23.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Bloemfontein
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.08 R 185
$11.35 R 190
-2.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.69 R 765
$38.18 R 639
19.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.95 R 82.8
$6.67 R 112
-25.79%
Cappuccino
$2.23 R 37.33
$1.83 R 30.56
21.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.71
$1.35 R 22.55
-25.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 R 13.47
$0.96 R 16.11
-16.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.64 R 44.16
$2.39 R 40.02
10.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 R 41.09
$2.28 R 38.09
7.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Bloemfontein
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 R 20.16
$1.00 R 16.78
20.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 R 17.52
$1.01 R 16.88
3.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 R 27.33
$1.95 R 32.58
-16.41%
Eggs
$2.56 R 42.85
$2.00 R 33.52
28.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.46 R 142
$6.89 R 115
22.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.81 R 80.5
$4.67 R 78.1
3.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.68 R 112
$6.81 R 114
-1.91%
Apples (1kg)
$1.62 R 27.17
$1.64 R 27.40
-1.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.39
$1.20 R 20.10
21.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 R 25.68
$1.48 R 24.83
3.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.60 R 26.85
$1.29 R 21.56
24.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 R 23.94
$0.85 R 14.19
68.24%
Onion (1kg)
$1.40 R 23.52
$1.70 R 28.42
-17.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 18.10
$1.08 R 18.00
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.98
$0.91 R 15.20
-2.20%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.14 R 52.6
$2.47 R 41.43
27.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.06 R 101
$4.35 R 72.8
39.31%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 R 22.75
$1.47 R 24.56
-7.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 R 27.68
$1.47 R 24.68
12.24%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Bloemfontein
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 28.52
$0.84 R 14.02
102.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 R 1,190
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.15 R 19.18
$1.15 R 19.30
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 15.01
$0.68 R 11.40
32.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.01 R 67.1
$3.98 R 66.7
0.75%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 R 21.40
$1.29 R 21.68
-0.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K R 376.0K
$22.9K R 383.5K
-1.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 397.3K
$24.3K R 406.8K
-2.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Bloemfontein
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 R 1,973
$73.8 R 1,236
59.64%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.87 R 684
$30.70 R 514
33.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.16 R 723
$35.75 R 598
20.73%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Bloemfontein
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.37 R 575
$29.35 R 491
17.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.89 R 233
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.29 R 122
$5.63 R 94.2
29.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Bloemfontein
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 R 3,489
$126 R 2,102
65.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,878 R 81.7K
$4,431 R 74.2K
10.09%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Bloemfontein
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.0 R 853
$55.9 R 936
-8.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.10 R 571
$31.79 R 532
7.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.7 R 1,501
$129 R 2,153
-30.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.9 R 1,338
$91.8 R 1,537
-12.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Bloemfontein
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$415 R 6,946
$297 R 4,972
39.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,206
$299 R 5,006
23.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 R 15.2K
$471 R 7,883
92.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$698 R 11.7K
$509 R 8,518
37.09%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,061 R 17.8K
$788 R 13.2K
34.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$770 R 12.9K
$652 R 10.9K
18.18%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Bloemfontein
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,669 R 27.9K
$1,319 R 22.1K
26.58%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
11.47
0.35%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

Last update for Bloemfontein: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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