Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Klerksdorp

For one person, living is cheaper in Klerksdorp: $1,089 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Klerksdorp
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Klerksdorp Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Klerksdorp

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Klerksdorp

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,089 in Klerksdorp, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,428
Klerksdorp $1,089

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,685 in Klerksdorp, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,226
Klerksdorp $1,685

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,281 in Klerksdorp, rent included.

Johannesburg $3,023
Klerksdorp $2,281

Johannesburg costs about 31% more than Klerksdorp, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 5% above the global median, while Klerksdorp is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$8.89 R 146

38.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$36.43 R 600

26.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$5.48 R 90.3

35.40%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.22 R 36.52

10.36%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$0.96 R 15.75

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.80 R 13.19

15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$2.38 R 39.21

-0.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$2.80 R 46.19

0.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.22 R 20.14

12.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$1.14 R 18.78

10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.84 R 30.26

-6.52%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$2.45 R 40.43

12.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.29 R 137

8.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$3.66 R 60.3

56.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$6.80 R 112

34.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$1.79 R 29.53

18.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$1.63 R 26.79

14.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.82 R 29.98

0.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$1.64 R 27.04

25.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$0.63 R 10.41

166.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.18 R 19.44

51.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$1.01 R 16.70

45.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$1.28 R 21.14

2.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.32 R 54.7

6.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$5.05 R 83.2

17.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.55 R 25.48

19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$1.93 R 31.85

20.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

$1.66 R 27.34

24.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.31 R 5.15

183.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.82 R 13.48

6.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$3.03 R 49.88

387.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.36 R 22.33

12.50%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$24.3K R 401.1K

46.75%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$24.3K R 399.9K

45.16%

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

$227 R 3,743

$151 R 2,487

50.51%

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

$39.37 R 649

$37.19 R 613

5.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$37.96 R 625

-0.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$31.89 R 525

18.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

$11.63 R 192

47.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$7.11 R 117

18.57%

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

$248 R 4,089

$123 R 2,022

102.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$5,563 R 91.6K

-1.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$54.4 R 896

10.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$31.80 R 524

41.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$92.5 R 1,524

21.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$83.2 R 1,371

34.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$402 R 6,629

28.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$365 R 6,010

14.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$748 R 12.3K

42.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$741 R 12.2K

21.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

$866 R 14.3K

19.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$696 R 11.5K

9.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

$911 R 15.0K

88.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

21.22%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Klerksdorp: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Klerksdorp

$365 33.5% 12.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Klerksdorp

$226 20.8% 25.7% $78

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Klerksdorp

$184 16.9% 17.4% $39

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Klerksdorp

$139 12.7% 21.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Klerksdorp

$118 10.8% 20.5% $30

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Klerksdorp

$11 * 1% 89.5% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Klerksdorp

$46 4.2% 15.7% $8.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $519 in Johannesburg versus $402 in Klerksdorp. 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 88% 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 Klerksdorp. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $184 – making Klerksdorp the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Klerksdorp

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

186,515

💱 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

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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 Klerksdorp: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 31% more than Klerksdorp, 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 $1,633 in Klerksdorp. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,428 in Johannesburg and $1,089 in Klerksdorp. That's a gap of about 31%.

Kindergarten costs $248 per month in Johannesburg and $123 in Klerksdorp. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Klerksdorp, where all-in costs run around $1,089, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Klerksdorp it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Klerksdorp costs $1,089 versus $1,428 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Klerksdorp. 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.