Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Fourways

For one person, living is cheaper in Fourways: $1,031 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Fourways
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Fourways Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Fourways

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,031

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Fourways

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

A single person spends $1,410 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,031 in Fourways, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,410
Fourways $1,031

A couple spends around $2,182 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,591 in Fourways, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,182
Fourways $1,591

A family of three spends $2,954 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,151 in Fourways, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,954
Fourways $2,151

Johannesburg costs about 37% more than Fourways, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Fourways is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.92 R 199

$9.11 R 152

30.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.33 R 740

$36.79 R 614

20.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 124

$5.32 R 88.8

39.47%

Cappuccino

$2.39 R 39.88

$2.18 R 36.38

9.63%

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

$1.21 R 20.26

$1.02 R 17.07

18.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.96

$0.81 R 13.46

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.44

$2.35 R 39.27

2.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 R 44.50

$2.74 R 45.75

-2.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 R 21.59

$1.16 R 19.43

11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.93

$1.12 R 18.74

6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.46

$1.67 R 27.83

1.80%

Eggs

$2.75 R 45.91

$2.40 R 40.09

14.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 145

$7.56 R 126

14.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 R 92.9

$4.35 R 72.7

27.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 R 149

$7.02 R 117

27.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.70

$1.38 R 23.11

50.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.24

$1.59 R 26.59

13.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.92

$1.76 R 29.41

-1.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.07

$1.54 R 25.73

36.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.44

$1.12 R 18.71

51.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.80

$1.21 R 20.23

47.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.88

$1.22 R 20.39

22.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.60

$1.09 R 18.21

12.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 R 58.2

$3.19 R 53.3

9.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 R 102

$5.01 R 83.6

21.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 R 31.10

$1.52 R 25.45

22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 R 40.05

$1.96 R 32.71

22.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,486

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.56

$0.29 R 4.77

179.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.50

$0.80 R 13.39

8.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.32 R 239

$14.28 R 238

0.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.52

$1.56 R 26.00

-1.92%

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

$35.5K R 592.0K

$28.7K R 479.0K

23.60%

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

$34.0K R 567.8K

$26.7K R 445.7K

27.39%

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

$224 R 3,733

$87.3 R 1,457

156.33%

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

$39.12 R 653

$36.98 R 617

5.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.93 R 616

$36.87 R 615

0.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 R 592

$32.58 R 544

8.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 R 291

$16.27 R 272

7.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.29 R 138

$7.12 R 119

16.43%

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

$240 R 4,003

$256 R 4,273

-6.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,471 R 91.3K

$7,815 R 130.5K

-29.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 R 968

$53.0 R 885

9.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.96 R 750

$31.76 R 530

41.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,858

$77.2 R 1,289

44.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 R 1,879

$84.3 R 1,407

33.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,786

$386 R 6,440

36.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 R 7,003

$387 R 6,458

8.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$740 R 12.3K

48.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 R 14.8K

$704 R 11.8K

25.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,035 R 17.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$734 R 12.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.5K

$1,572 R 26.2K

8.70%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Fourways: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$419 29.8%

Fourways

$387 37.5% 7.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$300 21.3%

Fourways

$161 15.6% 46.2% $139

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.5%

Fourways

$181 17.6% 16.8% $37

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$172 12.2%

Fourways

$140 13.5% 19.1% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Fourways

$111 10.8% 24.6% $36

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$101 7.2%

Fourways

$4.3 * 0.4% 95.8% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Fourways

$47 4.5% 10.1% $5.3

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 $386 in Fourways. 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 9% 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 $44 in Johannesburg versus $37 in Fourways. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $181 – making Fourways the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Fourways

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 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 Fourways: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 37% more than Fourways, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,115 per month in Johannesburg and $1,546 in Fourways. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Fourways, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Johannesburg and $37 in Fourways. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Johannesburg, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,410 in Johannesburg and $1,031 in Fourways. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Fourways costs $1,031 versus $1,410 in Johannesburg. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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