Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Hillcrest Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Hillcrest

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 28.6% more expensive than Hillcrest without rent, and 9.4% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 32.5% more expensive than Hillcrest without rent, and 1.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Hillcrest
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.08 R 185
$7.63 R 128
45.22%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.69 R 765
$28.10 R 470
62.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.95 R 82.8
$5.07 R 84.9
-2.37%
Cappuccino
$2.23 R 37.33
$2.01 R 33.62
10.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.71
$0.93 R 15.63
7.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 R 13.47
$0.72 R 12.04
11.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.64 R 44.16
$1.91 R 32.01
38.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 R 41.09
$2.26 R 37.83
8.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Hillcrest
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 R 20.16
$0.88 R 14.77
36.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 R 17.52
$0.57 R 9.57
84.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 R 27.33
$1.20 R 20.12
35.83%
Eggs
$2.56 R 42.85
$2.10 R 35.17
21.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.46 R 142
$7.15 R 120
18.32%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.81 R 80.5
$3.90 R 65.3
23.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.68 R 112
$6.39 R 107
4.54%
Apples (1kg)
$1.62 R 27.17
$1.45 R 24.25
11.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.39
$1.09 R 18.28
33.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 R 25.68
$1.38 R 23.15
10.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.60 R 26.85
$1.29 R 21.63
24.03%
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 R 23.94
$1.31 R 21.91
9.16%
Onion (1kg)
$1.40 R 23.52
$1.23 R 20.55
13.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 18.10
$1.03 R 17.19
4.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.98
$0.83 R 13.85
7.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.14 R 52.6
$2.74 R 45.87
14.60%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.06 R 101
$4.54 R 76.1
33.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 R 22.75
$1.39 R 23.28
-2.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 R 27.68
$1.74 R 29.15
-5.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Hillcrest
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 28.52
$1.63 R 27.24
4.29%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 R 1,190
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.15 R 19.18
$1.71 R 28.59
-32.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 15.01
$0.57 R 9.62
57.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.01 R 67.1
$6.59 R 110
-39.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 R 21.40
$1.32 R 22.13
-3.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K R 376.0K
$20.4K R 342.0K
9.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 397.3K
$24.7K R 413.7K
-3.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Hillcrest
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 R 1,973
$144 R 2,402
-17.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.87 R 684
$29.66 R 497
37.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.16 R 723
$34.39 R 576
25.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Hillcrest
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.37 R 575
$31.13 R 521
10.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.89 R 233
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.29 R 122
$6.54 R 109
11.47%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Hillcrest
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 R 3,489
$205 R 3,427
1.83%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,878 R 81.7K
$4,511 R 75.5K
8.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Hillcrest
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.0 R 853
$42.18 R 706
20.84%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.10 R 571
$29.57 R 495
15.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.7 R 1,501
$93.7 R 1,568
-4.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.9 R 1,338
$73.5 R 1,230
8.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Hillcrest
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$415 R 6,946
$365 R 6,108
13.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,206
$671 R 11.2K
-44.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 R 15.2K
$689 R 11.5K
31.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$698 R 11.7K
$1,121 R 18.8K
-37.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,061 R 17.8K
$842 R 14.1K
26.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$770 R 12.9K
$572 R 9,581
34.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Hillcrest
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,669 R 27.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
12.01
-4.16%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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