Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Cape Town Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Cape Town
😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 3.9% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 9.2% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 2.5% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 14.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11 R 196
$11 R 196
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.23 R 787
$45.35 R 807
-2.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.92 R 87.4
$5.16 R 91.7
-4.65%
Cappuccino
$2.25 R 40.01
$2.02 R 35.92
11.39%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1 R 17.76
$1.11 R 19.76
-9.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 R 13.43
$0.81 R 14.48
-6.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.68 R 47.67
$2.84 R 50.4
-5.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 R 43.52
$2.59 R 45.99
-5.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 R 21.12
$1.15 R 20.44
3.48%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 R 18.5
$1.09 R 19.45
-4.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 R 30.77
$1.94 R 34.43
-10.82%
Eggs
$2.46 R 43.71
$2.49 R 44.35
-1.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.5 R 151
$8.33 R 148
2.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.77 R 84.8
$5.06 R 90.1
-5.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.79 R 121
$7.33 R 130
-7.37%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 R 30
$1.51 R 26.84
11.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.52 R 27.07
$1.41 R 25.1
7.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.09
$1.51 R 26.91
-2.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 R 28.6
$1.61 R 28.56
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 R 25.47
$1.12 R 19.91
27.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.46 R 25.98
$1.23 R 21.93
18.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.3
$1.05 R 18.69
3.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 15.75
$0.95 R 16.94
-6.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3 R 53.3
$3 R 53.3
-
Wine (Bottle)
$5.75 R 102
$5.64 R 100
1.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.32 R 23.41
$1.36 R 24.13
-2.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.84
$1.75 R 31.04
-4.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.67 R 29.67
$0.97 R 17.29
72.16%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$68.7 R 1,222
$48.28 R 859
42.34%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.15 R 20.48
$1.41 R 25.1
-18.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 R 17.05
$1.01 R 18.01
-4.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.09 R 72.8
$4.55 R 80.9
-10.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 R 21.93
$1.25 R 22.23
-1.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K R 390.1K
$20.9K R 371.8K
4.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K R 430K
$24.2K R 431.1K
-0.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 R 2,131
$100 R 1,784
19.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.41 R 719
$32.32 R 575
25.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.79 R 761
$41.05 R 730
4.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34 R 605
$41.87 R 745
-18.80%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.52 R 240
$8.26 R 147
63.68%
Cinema Ticket
$7.17 R 128
$6.68 R 119
7.34%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$207 R 3,674
$209 R 3,715
-1.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,925 R 87.6K
$5,218 R 92.8K
-5.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.9 R 905
$56.1 R 997
-9.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.6 R 598
$32.76 R 583
2.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.9 R 1,581
$113 R 2,007
-21.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 R 1,396
$84.1 R 1,495
-6.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$417 R 7,418
$762 R 13.5K
-45.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$373 R 6,637
$518 R 9,214
-27.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$902 R 16K
$1,437 R 25.6K
-37.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$705 R 12.5K
$1,013 R 18K
-30.43%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,028 R 18.3K
$1,844 R 32.8K
-44.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$688 R 12.2K
$1,269 R 22.6K
-45.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,395 R 24.8K
$1,550 R 27.6K
-10.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
11.77
-2.21%
Citycost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
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