Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Boksburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Boksburg: $1,231 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
Learn more

Johannesburg Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
Learn more

Boksburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Boksburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,428 in Johannesburg versus $1,231 in Boksburg.

Johannesburg $1,428
Boksburg $1,231

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,226 in Johannesburg versus $1,912 in Boksburg.

Johannesburg $2,226
Boksburg $1,912

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,023 in Johannesburg versus $2,594 in Boksburg.

Johannesburg $3,023
Boksburg $2,594

Living in Johannesburg is roughly 16% more expensive than in Boksburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Johannesburg is 5% above, Boksburg is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$11.98 R 197

3.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$45.26 R 746

2.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$5.29 R 87.2

40.26%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.28 R 37.63

7.46%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$1.09 R 18.02

17.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.79 R 13.10

16.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$2.46 R 40.50

-4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$2.80 R 46.16

0.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.39 R 22.84

-1.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$1.17 R 19.29

7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.80 R 29.64

-4.44%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$2.69 R 44.29

2.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.73 R 144

2.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$5.34 R 88.0

7.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$9.04 R 149

1.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$1.85 R 30.44

14.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$1.63 R 26.79

14.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.78 R 29.27

2.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$1.82 R 29.96

13.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.73 R 28.52

-2.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.85 R 30.41

-3.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$1.23 R 20.19

19.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$1.34 R 22.10

-2.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.29 R 54.2

7.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$6.25 R 103

-5.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.53 R 25.26

20.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$1.94 R 31.99

20.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.29 R 4.76

203.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.77 R 12.64

12.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$14.80 R 244

-0.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.50 R 24.78

2.00%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$36.3K R 597.4K

-1.47%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$35.1K R 577.8K

0.47%

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

$227 R 3,743

$229 R 3,771

-0.74%

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

$39.37 R 649

$39.28 R 647

0.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$37.37 R 616

0.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$28.76 R 474

31.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

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

$248 R 4,089

$248 R 4,083

0.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$5,431 R 89.5K

1.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$53.4 R 879

12.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$45.82 R 755

-1.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$105 R 1,731

6.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$113 R 1,856

-0.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$327 R 5,381

58.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$356 R 5,857

17.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$670 R 11.0K

59.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$776 R 12.8K

16.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

$882 R 14.5K

94.69%

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 18, 2026

Last update for Boksburg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Boksburg

$356 28.9% 14.6% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Boksburg

$306 24.8% 0.4% $1.3

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Boksburg

$213 17.3% 4.6% $10

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Boksburg

$165 13.4% 6.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Boksburg

$143 11.6% 3.8% $5.7

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Boksburg

$4.1 * 0.3% 96.1% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Boksburg

$46 3.7% 16.6% $9.1

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 $519 in Johannesburg and $327 in Boksburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Johannesburg pays 95% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Johannesburg vs $45.00 in Boksburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $213 per month, with Boksburg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

260,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johannesburg Boksburg 21 km

From you

Johannesburg
Boksburg

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 Boksburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg and Boksburg differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($1,428 vs $1,231 including rent). Boksburg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 95% 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: $519 in Johannesburg versus $327 in Boksburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Johannesburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,428 per month in Johannesburg versus $1,231 in Boksburg – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,231 in Boksburg versus $1,428 in Johannesburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boksburg but tight or insufficient in Johannesburg. The gap between the two cities makes Boksburg the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Boksburg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Johannesburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.