Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Centurion

For one person, living costs are similar in Johannesburg and in Centurion: $1,428 and $1,387 a month, rent and utilities included.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,387

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Centurion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,428 in Johannesburg versus $1,387 in Centurion.

Johannesburg $1,428
Centurion $1,387

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,226 in Johannesburg versus $2,250 in Centurion.

Johannesburg $2,226
Centurion $2,250

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,023 in Johannesburg versus $3,113 in Centurion.

Johannesburg $3,023
Centurion $3,113

Living in Johannesburg is roughly 3% more expensive than in Centurion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Johannesburg 5% above, Centurion 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$22.17 R 365

-44.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$41.66 R 686

10.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$6.01 R 99.0

23.46%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.68 R 44.22

-8.58%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$1.01 R 16.68

26.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.88 R 14.47

4.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$2.08 R 34.25

13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$2.38 R 39.25

18.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.24 R 20.35

10.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$1.27 R 21.00

-0.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$2.20 R 36.19

-21.82%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$2.97 R 48.85

-7.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$9.75 R 161

-8.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$6.88 R 113

-16.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$7.37 R 121

24.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$1.86 R 30.59

13.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$1.83 R 30.17

2.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.19 R 36.10

-16.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$2.12 R 34.88

-2.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.61 R 26.45

4.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.82 R 30.05

-1.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$1.33 R 21.88

10.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$1.47 R 24.18

-10.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.80 R 62.6

-7.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$6.18 R 102

-4.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.67 R 27.49

10.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$2.15 R 35.46

8.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

$2.38 R 39.17

-13.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

$96.1 R 1,583

-4.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$1.25 R 20.58

-29.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$1.24 R 20.50

-29.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$8.99 R 148

64.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.46 R 24.00

4.79%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$36.2K R 597.1K

-1.42%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$32.1K R 529.2K

9.70%

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

$227 R 3,743

$137 R 2,264

65.34%

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

$39.37 R 649

$30.32 R 500

29.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$41.13 R 678

-8.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$43.86 R 723

-13.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$10.85 R 179

-22.30%

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

$248 R 4,089

$313 R 5,156

-20.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$4,454 R 73.4K

23.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$59.8 R 985

0.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$44.07 R 726

2.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$119 R 1,955

-5.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$103 R 1,694

9.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$341 R 5,624

52.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$375 R 6,175

11.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$584 R 9,628

82.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$924 R 15.2K

-2.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

$531 R 8,742

95.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$613 R 10.1K

24.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

$2,387 R 39.3K

-28.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.5

3.90%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Centurion: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Centurion

$375 27% 10% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Centurion

$209 15.1% 31.3% $95

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Centurion

$228 16.4% 2.1% $4.7

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Centurion

$250 18.1% 41.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Centurion

$146 10.6% 1.3% $1.9

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Centurion

$113 8.2% 7.6% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Centurion

$66 4.7% 19.9% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $519 in Johannesburg and $341 in Centurion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 39% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46.00 in Johannesburg vs $42.00 in Centurion. Groceries flip the comparison at $223 vs $228, with Johannesburg cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Centurion

🕒 Local time

13:18 1:18 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

236,580

💱 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

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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 Centurion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Johannesburg. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Centurion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Centurion. 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: $519 in Johannesburg versus $341 in Centurion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Centurion runs roughly 5% less than in Johannesburg. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $248 in Johannesburg versus $313 in Centurion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,387 in Centurion versus $1,428 in Johannesburg, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Centurion but tight or insufficient in Johannesburg. The gap between the two cities makes Centurion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Centurion delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,387 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Johannesburg and Centurion are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Centurion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Johannesburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.