Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Kimberley

For one person, living is cheaper in Kimberley: $1,138 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
Learn more

Johannesburg Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kimberley
Learn more

Kimberley Living Index

Jump to prices

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Kimberley

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Kimberley

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,128 in Kimberley, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,428
Kimberley $1,128

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,905 in Kimberley, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,226
Kimberley $1,905

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,683 in Kimberley, rent included.

Johannesburg $3,023
Kimberley $2,683

Johannesburg costs about 27% more than Kimberley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 5% above the global median, while Kimberley is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$12.12 R 200

1.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$36.35 R 599

27.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$6.22 R 103

19.29%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.99 R 49.32

-18.06%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$1.29 R 21.17

-0.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$1.30 R 21.49

-29.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$2.79 R 45.92

-15.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$2.67 R 44.00

5.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.55 R 25.50

-11.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$1.16 R 19.03

8.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$2.94 R 48.49

-41.50%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$2.91 R 48.01

-5.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$6.52 R 107

37.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$5.89 R 97.0

-2.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$8.33 R 137

10.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$2.35 R 38.64

-9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$2.44 R 40.25

-23.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.78 R 29.25

2.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$3.34 R 55.0

-38.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.52 R 24.99

10.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.41 R 23.18

26.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$1.39 R 22.85

5.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$0.90 R 14.76

45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.28 R 54.0

7.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$6.56 R 108

-9.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$2.30 R 37.83

-19.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$2.87 R 47.29

-18.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

$1.53 R 25.15

34.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

$33.18 R 547

175.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.58 R 9.55

51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.82 R 13.51

6.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$13.15 R 217

12.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.45 R 23.81

5.52%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$37.5K R 617.3K

-4.65%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$38.3K R 630.5K

-7.92%

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

$227 R 3,743

$108 R 1,772

111.21%

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

$39.37 R 649

$35.15 R 579

12.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$42.40 R 699

-11.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$22.40 R 369

68.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

$10.56 R 174

62.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$7.16 R 118

17.74%

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

$248 R 4,089

$242 R 3,981

2.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$6,107 R 100.6K

-10.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$54.5 R 897

10.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$30.14 R 497

49.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$101 R 1,669

10.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$90.8 R 1,495

23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$263 R 4,329

97.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$338 R 5,574

23.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$645 R 10.6K

65.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$928 R 15.3K

-2.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

$806 R 13.3K

28.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$619 R 10.2K

23.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

$949 R 15.6K

80.84%

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 Kimberley: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Kimberley

$338 29.7% 18.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Kimberley

$185 16.3% 39.1% $119

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Kimberley

$229 20.1% 2.6% $5.8

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Kimberley

$181 15.9% 2.6% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Kimberley

$124 10.9% 16.1% $24

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Kimberley

$44 3.9% 58.2% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Kimberley

$37 3.2% 32.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $519 in Johannesburg versus $266 in Kimberley. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 84% higher in Johannesburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Johannesburg versus $36.00 in Kimberley. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Johannesburg vs $228 in Kimberley – so Johannesburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Kimberley

🕒 Local time

12:00 12:00 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

225,160

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johannesburg Kimberley 430 km

From you

Johannesburg
Kimberley

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 Kimberley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 27% more than Kimberley, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,142 per month in Johannesburg and $1,692 in Kimberley. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kimberley, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Johannesburg and $36.00 in Kimberley. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,428 in Johannesburg and $1,128 in Kimberley. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kimberley, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Kimberley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kimberley costs $1,128 versus $1,428 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Kimberley. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.