Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Burgersfort

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgersfort: $1,095 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Burgersfort
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Burgersfort Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Burgersfort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,095

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Burgersfort

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,406 in Johannesburg versus $1,095 in Burgersfort.

Johannesburg $1,406
Burgersfort $1,095

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,195 in Johannesburg versus $1,726 in Burgersfort.

Johannesburg $2,195
Burgersfort $1,726

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Johannesburg versus $2,356 in Burgersfort.

Johannesburg $2,983
Burgersfort $2,356

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 195

$8.87 R 145

33.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 736

$36.17 R 594

23.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 121

$5.40 R 88.6

37.04%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.15

$2.26 R 37.10

8.41%

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

$1.23 R 20.13

$1.03 R 16.88

19.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.14

$0.80 R 13.10

15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.23

$2.38 R 38.99

2.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 44.94

$3.55 R 58.3

-22.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.53

$1.19 R 19.55

10.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.65

$1.10 R 18.02

14.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.24

$1.84 R 30.25

-6.52%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.19

$2.54 R 41.60

3.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 146

$8.61 R 141

3.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.1

$5.10 R 83.6

11.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 148

$7.40 R 121

22.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.04

$1.80 R 29.52

15.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.28

$1.68 R 27.59

13.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.95

$1.77 R 29.10

3.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.63

$1.62 R 26.51

26.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 27.93

$1.13 R 18.54

50.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.62

$1.21 R 19.90

49.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 24.73

$1.23 R 20.16

22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.60

$1.33 R 21.74

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.5

$3.27 R 53.6

7.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 99.6

$5.20 R 85.3

16.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.57

$1.58 R 25.93

13.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 37.85

$1.95 R 32.03

18.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.62

$1.63 R 26.69

-0.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.49

$0.29 R 4.72

182.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.04

$0.82 R 13.41

12.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 235

$14.57 R 239

-1.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 24.89

$1.59 R 26.17

-4.40%

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

$35.4K R 580.8K

$34.9K R 572.4K

1.48%

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

$34.7K R 570.0K

$34.8K R 570.3K

-0.06%

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

$228 R 3,738

$154 R 2,530

47.71%

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

$38.51 R 632

$36.79 R 604

4.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 624

$37.62 R 617

1.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 580

$29.60 R 486

19.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 270

$13.08 R 215

25.92%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 139

$7.27 R 119

16.51%

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

$247 R 4,052

$258 R 4,230

-4.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 126.8K

$6,103 R 100.1K

26.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 954

$52.9 R 868

9.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 727

$32.55 R 534

36.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,848

$90.4 R 1,483

24.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,821

$82.3 R 1,351

34.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,624

$427 R 7,003

23.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,682

$357 R 5,861

14.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 17.9K

$802 R 13.2K

36.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.8K

$788 R 12.9K

14.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 16.9K

$754 R 12.4K

36.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.3K

$609 R 9,988

22.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.34

-3.79%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Burgersfort: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

Burgersfort

$357 32.6% 12.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

Burgersfort

$229 20.9% 24.9% $76

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

Burgersfort

$197 18% 10.5% $23

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

Burgersfort

$141 12.8% 18.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Burgersfort

$116 10.6% 20.8% $31

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Burgersfort

$11 * 1% 89.4% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Burgersfort

$44 4% 15.6% $8.1

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 $526 in Johannesburg and $427 in Burgersfort. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45 in Johannesburg vs $36 in Burgersfort for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $197 per month, with Burgersfort cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Burgersfort

🕒 Local time

10:44 10:44 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

10,000

💱 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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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 Burgersfort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,095 in Burgersfort, so Burgersfort is about 22% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,110 in Johannesburg and $1,642 in Burgersfort 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 $427 in Burgersfort. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Johannesburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,406 per month in Johannesburg versus $1,095 in Burgersfort – Burgersfort is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Burgersfort 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.