Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $978 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$978

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in East London

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $978 in East London, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
East London $978

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,499 in East London, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
East London $1,499

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,020 in East London, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,983
East London $2,020

Johannesburg costs about 44% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while East London is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 196

$7.97 R 132

49.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 741

$33.73 R 557

32.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 122

$5.09 R 84.1

45.38%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.42

$2.05 R 33.81

19.51%

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

$1.23 R 20.27

$1.01 R 16.61

21.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.25

$0.72 R 11.97

27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.50

$2.65 R 43.77

-7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 45.24

$3.11 R 51.3

-11.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.68

$1.12 R 18.47

16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.79

$0.91 R 15.02

38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.43

$1.46 R 24.05

17.81%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.48

$2.35 R 38.77

11.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 147

$8.42 R 139

5.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.7

$5.20 R 86.0

9.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 149

$7.93 R 131

14.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.27

$1.74 R 28.78

18.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.49

$1.52 R 25.05

25.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.15

$1.62 R 26.72

12.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.86

$1.57 R 26.00

30.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.12

$1.69 R 27.84

0.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.82

$1.42 R 23.52

27.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 24.89

$1.23 R 20.37

22.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.74

$1.01 R 16.72

24.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.9

$2.95 R 48.75

18.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 100

$4.88 R 80.7

24.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.76

$1.05 R 17.29

71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 38.10

$0.97 R 16.00

138.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.80

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,498

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.58

$1.18 R 19.52

-30.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.14

$0.50 R 8.19

84.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 236

$8.61 R 142

66.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.06

$1.46 R 24.11

4.11%

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

$35.4K R 584.7K

$35.3K R 583.0K

0.29%

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

$34.7K R 573.8K

$29.4K R 485.0K

18.31%

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

$228 R 3,763

$123 R 2,036

84.82%

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

$38.51 R 636

$30.34 R 501

26.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 628

$45.33 R 749

-16.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 584

$39.33 R 650

-10.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 272

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 140

$5.04 R 83.3

68.06%

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

$247 R 4,079

$175 R 2,888

41.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 127.6K

$5,508 R 91.0K

40.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 960

$56.1 R 926

3.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 731

$32.59 R 538

35.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,861

$73.5 R 1,214

53.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,834

$94.8 R 1,566

17.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,682

$238 R 3,925

121.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,727

$296 R 4,881

37.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 18.0K

$603 R 9,964

80.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.9K

$566 R 9,347

58.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 17.0K

$481 R 7,938

114.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.4K

$833 R 13.8K

-10.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.9K

$1,442 R 23.8K

21.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.33

-3.71%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for East London: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

East London

$295 30.2% 27.4% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

East London

$199 20.4% 34.6% $105

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

East London

$185 18.9% 16.1% $36

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

East London

$130 13.3% 24.9% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

East London

$116 11.8% 21.2% $31

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

East London

$3.7 * 0.4% 96.4% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

East London

$49 5.1% 5.5% $2.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Johannesburg versus $238 in East London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Johannesburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Johannesburg versus $34 in East London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $185 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

267,007

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Johannesburg East London 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,406 in Johannesburg, $978 in East London – East London comes out roughly 30% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,110 per month in Johannesburg and $1,467 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $238 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Johannesburg and $978 in East London. That makes East London about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Johannesburg and $175 in East London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Johannesburg at $1,406. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward East London – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with East London. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.