Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Howick

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,081 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
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Howick Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Howick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,410 in Johannesburg versus $1,081 in Howick.

Johannesburg $1,410
Howick $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,182 in Johannesburg versus $1,676 in Howick.

Johannesburg $2,182
Howick $1,676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,954 in Johannesburg versus $2,271 in Howick.

Johannesburg $2,954
Howick $2,271

Living in Johannesburg is roughly 30% more expensive than in Howick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Johannesburg is 4% above, Howick is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.92 R 198

$8.03 R 133

48.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.33 R 736

$38.85 R 645

14.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 123

$5.50 R 91.3

34.91%

Cappuccino

$2.39 R 39.68

$2.66 R 44.23

-10.15%

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

$1.21 R 20.15

$1.09 R 18.19

11.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.89

$0.92 R 15.32

4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.24

$2.39 R 39.69

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 R 44.27

$2.52 R 41.80

5.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 R 21.49

$1.21 R 20.08

6.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.83

$0.98 R 16.30

21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.32

$1.56 R 25.92

8.97%

Eggs

$2.75 R 45.69

$2.34 R 38.88

17.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 144

$8.23 R 137

5.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 R 92.4

$5.28 R 87.7

5.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 R 148

$7.20 R 120

23.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.53

$1.99 R 33.03

4.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.09

$1.88 R 31.24

-3.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.77

$1.92 R 31.86

-9.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.90

$1.70 R 28.22

23.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.30

$1.49 R 24.76

14.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.65

$1.46 R 24.33

22.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.75

$1.21 R 20.17

23.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.50

$1.19 R 19.78

3.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 R 57.9

$3.68 R 61.1

-5.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 R 101

$4.84 R 80.4

26.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 R 30.95

$1.45 R 24.15

28.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 R 39.85

$1.88 R 31.23

27.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.64

$1.54 R 25.52

15.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,479

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.50

$0.45 R 7.49

80.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.42

$0.75 R 12.41

16.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.32 R 238

$7.56 R 126

89.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.39

$1.37 R 22.68

11.68%

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

$35.5K R 589.1K

$36.1K R 600.3K

-1.86%

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

$34.0K R 565.0K

$33.1K R 550.2K

2.69%

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

$224 R 3,715

$150 R 2,491

49.14%

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

$39.12 R 650

$15.25 R 253

156.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.93 R 613

$40.18 R 667

-8.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 R 590

$31.93 R 530

11.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 R 290

$10.99 R 183

58.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.29 R 138

$7.09 R 118

16.93%

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

$240 R 3,984

$309 R 5,141

-22.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,471 R 90.9K

$7,814 R 129.8K

-29.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 R 963

$54.1 R 899

7.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.96 R 747

$30.61 R 508

46.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,849

$98.5 R 1,636

13.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 R 1,869

$84.3 R 1,400

33.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,742

$395 R 6,567

33.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 R 6,968

$366 R 6,078

14.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$735 R 12.2K

49.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 R 14.7K

$734 R 12.2K

20.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,035 R 17.2K

$868 R 14.4K

19.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$734 R 12.2K

$675 R 11.2K

8.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.4K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Howick: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$419 29.8%

Howick

$366 33.9% 12.8% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$300 21.3%

Howick

$205 19% 31.5% $94

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.5%

Howick

$195 18% 10.5% $23

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$172 12.2%

Howick

$138 12.8% 20.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Howick

$120 11.1% 18.1% $27

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$101 7.2%

Howick

$10 * 1% 89.8% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Howick

$46 4.3% 11.4% $6

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 $526 in Johannesburg and $395 in Howick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $44 in Johannesburg vs $39 in Howick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $218 vs $195 per month, with Howick cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Howick

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

32,453

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Johannesburg Howick 420 km

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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 Howick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howick is about 23% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,115 in Johannesburg and $1,621 in Howick 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: $526 in Johannesburg versus $395 in Howick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $240 in Johannesburg versus $309 in Howick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Howick – a meal for two runs $39 versus $44 in Johannesburg. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.