Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Jeffreys Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeffreys Bay: $1,045 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Jeffreys Bay
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Jeffreys Bay Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Jeffreys Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,045

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Jeffreys Bay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,406 in Johannesburg versus $1,045 in Jeffreys Bay.

Johannesburg $1,406
Jeffreys Bay $1,045

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,195 in Johannesburg versus $1,628 in Jeffreys Bay.

Johannesburg $2,195
Jeffreys Bay $1,628

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,983 in Johannesburg versus $2,212 in Jeffreys Bay.

Johannesburg $2,983
Jeffreys Bay $2,212

Living in Johannesburg is roughly 35% more expensive than in Jeffreys Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Johannesburg is 4% above, Jeffreys Bay is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 197

$9.25 R 154

28.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 745

$27.34 R 454

63.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 123

$5.83 R 96.8

26.93%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.64

$1.82 R 30.26

34.62%

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

$1.23 R 20.38

$0.77 R 12.81

59.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.33

$0.69 R 11.40

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.72

$1.98 R 32.81

23.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 45.48

$1.97 R 32.74

39.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.79

$1.17 R 19.47

11.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.90

$1.05 R 17.40

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.58

$1.43 R 23.71

20.28%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.71

$2.79 R 46.37

-5.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 147

$6.59 R 109

34.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 94.3

$5.01 R 83.2

13.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 150

$7.31 R 121

23.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.45

$2.10 R 34.80

-1.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.65

$1.47 R 24.40

29.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.31

$1.62 R 26.83

12.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 34.04

$1.72 R 28.55

19.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.27

$1.66 R 27.62

2.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.98

$1.18 R 19.61

53.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 25.03

$1.22 R 20.27

23.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.85

$0.97 R 16.13

29.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 58.2

$3.31 R 54.9

5.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 101

$3.85 R 63.9

57.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.92

$1.27 R 21.15

41.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 38.31

$1.79 R 29.74

29.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.94

$1.66 R 27.54

-2.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,506

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.66

$0.85 R 14.08

-3.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.22

$0.49 R 8.15

87.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 237

$8.37 R 139

70.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.19

$1.41 R 23.41

7.80%

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

$35.4K R 587.9K

$21.4K R 355.2K

65.53%

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

$34.7K R 576.9K

$17.3K R 286.7K

101.25%

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

$228 R 3,783

$122 R 2,030

86.35%

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

$38.51 R 640

$33.96 R 564

13.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 631

$45.43 R 754

-16.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 587

$32.31 R 537

9.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 274

$6.06 R 101

171.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 141

$3.02 R 50.2

180.46%

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

$247 R 4,101

$138 R 2,293

78.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 128.3K

$6,195 R 102.9K

24.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 965

$71.3 R 1,184

-18.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 735

$39.75 R 660

11.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,871

$110 R 1,828

2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,844

$98.1 R 1,629

13.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,729

$426 R 7,073

23.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,763

$336 R 5,587

21.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 18.1K

$720 R 12.0K

51.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.9K

$718 R 11.9K

25.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 17.1K

$678 R 11.3K

51.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.4K

$673 R 11.2K

11.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 29.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.94

-8.63%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Jeffreys Bay: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

Jeffreys Bay

$336 32.2% 17.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

Jeffreys Bay

$202 19.3% 33.7% $103

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

Jeffreys Bay

$182 17.4% 17.4% $38

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

Jeffreys Bay

$133 12.7% 23.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Jeffreys Bay

$144 13.8% 2.1% $3.1

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Jeffreys Bay

$9.9 * 1% 90.3% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Jeffreys Bay

$38 3.7% 26.6% $14

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 $426 in Jeffreys Bay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45 in Johannesburg vs $27 in Jeffreys Bay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $220 vs $182 per month, with Jeffreys Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Jeffreys Bay

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

27,107

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Johannesburg Jeffreys Bay 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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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 Jeffreys Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jeffreys Bay is about 26% cheaper overall, especially in transport, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,110 in Johannesburg and $1,567 in Jeffreys Bay 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 $426 in Jeffreys Bay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Johannesburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,406 per month in Johannesburg versus $1,045 in Jeffreys Bay – Jeffreys Bay is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

For families, Jeffreys Bay 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.