Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Hermanus

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermanus: $1,144 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Hermanus
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Hermanus Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Hermanus

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,144

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Hermanus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,428 in Johannesburg versus $1,144 in Hermanus.

Johannesburg $1,428
Hermanus $1,144

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,226 in Johannesburg versus $1,768 in Hermanus.

Johannesburg $2,226
Hermanus $1,768

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,023 in Johannesburg versus $2,393 in Hermanus.

Johannesburg $3,023
Hermanus $2,393

Living in Johannesburg is roughly 25% more expensive than in Hermanus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Johannesburg is 5% above, Hermanus is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$13.26 R 219

-6.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$35.96 R 592

28.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$5.71 R 94.2

29.95%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.30 R 37.92

6.52%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$1.09 R 17.91

17.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.84 R 13.78

9.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$2.49 R 41.10

-5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$2.97 R 48.94

-5.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.16 R 19.09

18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$1.13 R 18.64

11.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.56 R 25.76

10.26%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$2.44 R 40.13

13.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$9.12 R 150

-1.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$5.07 R 83.6

13.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$7.83 R 129

17.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$1.87 R 30.83

13.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$1.68 R 27.76

11.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.74 R 28.71

5.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$1.66 R 27.37

24.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.45 R 23.91

15.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.45 R 23.88

23.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$1.08 R 17.78

36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$1.12 R 18.51

16.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.23 R 53.2

9.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$7.12 R 117

-16.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.46 R 24.05

26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$1.90 R 31.28

22.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

$1.73 R 28.48

19.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.59 R 9.80

49.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.81 R 13.32

7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$10.61 R 175

39.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.49 R 24.50

2.68%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$30.5K R 502.6K

17.11%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$32.0K R 526.7K

10.22%

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

$227 R 3,743

$150 R 2,479

50.97%

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

$39.37 R 649

$34.84 R 574

13.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$41.02 R 676

-8.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$21.33 R 351

77.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

$13.74 R 226

24.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$5.93 R 97.8

42.16%

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

$248 R 4,089

$280 R 4,612

-11.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$5,794 R 95.5K

-5.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$53.4 R 880

12.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$33.31 R 549

35.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$100 R 1,649

11.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$88.6 R 1,459

26.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$389 R 6,409

33.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$372 R 6,129

11.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$729 R 12.0K

46.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$743 R 12.2K

21.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

$872 R 14.4K

18.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$682 R 11.2K

11.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.94

-0.27%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hermanus: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Hermanus

$372 32.5% 10.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Hermanus

$226 19.8% 25.6% $78

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Hermanus

$200 17.5% 10.1% $23

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Hermanus

$177 15.5% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Hermanus

$124 10.8% 16.4% $24

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Hermanus

$12 * 1% 89% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Hermanus

$33 2.9% 39.3% $22

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 $519 in Johannesburg and $389 in Hermanus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $46.00 in Johannesburg vs $36.00 in Hermanus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $200 per month, with Hermanus cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Hermanus

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

56,139

💱 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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Johannesburg Hermanus 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Hermanus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hermanus is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 25% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,142 in Johannesburg and $1,716 in Hermanus 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: $519 in Johannesburg versus $389 in Hermanus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Johannesburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,428 per month in Johannesburg versus $1,144 in Hermanus – a 25% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,144 in Hermanus versus $1,428 in Johannesburg, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hermanus but tight or insufficient in Johannesburg. The gap between the two cities makes Hermanus the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Hermanus is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Johannesburg, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Johannesburg and Hermanus 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 Hermanus gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Johannesburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.