Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Hillcrest

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,081 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
Hillcrest $1,081

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,686 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Hillcrest $1,686

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,292 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,983
Hillcrest $2,292

Johannesburg costs about 30% more than Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Hillcrest is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 195

$7.87 R 129

50.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 736

$38.34 R 629

16.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 121

$6.01 R 98.6

23.13%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.15

$2.71 R 44.53

-9.59%

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

$1.23 R 20.13

$1.14 R 18.70

7.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.14

$0.90 R 14.71

2.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.23

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 44.94

$2.50 R 41.05

9.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.53

$1.18 R 19.28

11.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.65

$0.98 R 16.13

28.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.24

$1.50 R 24.59

14.67%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.19

$2.32 R 38.10

13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 146

$8.19 R 134

8.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.1

$5.05 R 82.8

12.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 148

$7.27 R 119

24.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.04

$1.29 R 21.22

60.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.28

$1.93 R 31.60

-1.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.95

$1.95 R 31.93

-6.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.63

$1.73 R 28.43

18.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 27.93

$1.46 R 23.99

16.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.62

$1.44 R 23.67

25.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 24.73

$1.21 R 19.77

24.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.60

$1.14 R 18.71

10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.5

$3.71 R 60.8

-5.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 99.6

$4.80 R 78.7

26.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.57

$1.41 R 23.10

27.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 37.85

$1.96 R 32.19

17.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.62

$1.54 R 25.19

5.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.49

$0.44 R 7.14

86.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.04

$0.71 R 11.61

29.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 235

$7.70 R 126

85.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 24.89

$1.45 R 23.84

4.83%

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

$35.4K R 580.8K

$35.2K R 577.7K

0.55%

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

$34.7K R 570.0K

$33.1K R 542.3K

5.10%

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

$228 R 3,738

$153 R 2,511

48.87%

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

$38.51 R 632

$35.61 R 584

8.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 624

$39.04 R 641

-2.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 580

$33.00 R 541

7.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 270

$13.55 R 222

21.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 139

$7.29 R 120

16.19%

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

$247 R 4,052

$310 R 5,092

-20.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 126.8K

$7,429 R 121.9K

4.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 954

$51.6 R 846

12.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 727

$27.96 R 459

58.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,848

$97.0 R 1,591

16.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,821

$79.2 R 1,299

40.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,624

$377 R 6,179

39.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,682

$353 R 5,785

15.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 17.9K

$640 R 10.5K

70.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.8K

$732 R 12.0K

22.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 16.9K

$764 R 12.5K

34.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.3K

$575 R 9,430

30.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.78

-7.39%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

Hillcrest

$353 32.6% 13.4% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

Hillcrest

$228 21.1% 25.2% $77

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

Hillcrest

$189 17.5% 14% $31

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

Hillcrest

$139 12.9% 19.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Hillcrest

$115 10.6% 21.6% $32

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9% 90.1% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Hillcrest

$48 4.4% 9% $4.7

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 $377 in Hillcrest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Johannesburg versus $38 in Hillcrest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $189 – making Hillcrest the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🕒 Local time

04:46 4:46 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,406 in Johannesburg, $1,081 in Hillcrest – Hillcrest comes out roughly 23% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,110 per month in Johannesburg and $1,622 in Hillcrest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Johannesburg and $38 in Hillcrest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Johannesburg, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,081 in Hillcrest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hillcrest costs $1,081 versus $1,406 in Johannesburg. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.