Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Kuruman

For one person, living is cheaper in Kuruman: $1,162 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Kuruman
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Kuruman Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Kuruman

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,162

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Kuruman

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,162 in Kuruman, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
Kuruman $1,162

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,815 in Kuruman, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Kuruman $1,815

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,468 in Kuruman, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,983
Kuruman $2,468

Johannesburg costs about 21% more than Kuruman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Kuruman is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 196

$10.85 R 179

9.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 741

$37.97 R 628

18.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 122

$5.59 R 92.4

32.38%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.45

$1.85 R 30.58

32.43%

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

$1.23 R 20.28

$1.14 R 18.88

7.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.26

$0.59 R 9.69

55.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.53

$2.45 R 40.55

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 45.28

$2.68 R 44.30

2.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.69

$1.14 R 18.90

14.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.80

$1.31 R 21.62

-3.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.45

$1.78 R 29.36

-3.37%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.51

$4.26 R 70.4

-38.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 147

$8.52 R 141

4.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.8

$5.05 R 83.5

12.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 149

$7.49 R 124

20.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.29

$1.85 R 30.61

11.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.51

$1.63 R 26.90

17.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.77 R 29.30

3.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.88

$1.66 R 27.50

23.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.14

$1.43 R 23.63

18.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.84

$1.42 R 23.46

27.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 24.91

$1.18 R 19.47

27.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.76

$1.18 R 19.43

6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.9

$3.64 R 60.2

-3.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 100

$4.93 R 81.5

23.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.79

$1.45 R 23.91

24.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 38.13

$1.89 R 31.29

22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.82

$1.56 R 25.82

3.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,499

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.60

$0.85 R 14.09

-3.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.15

$0.82 R 13.55

12.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 236

$13.01 R 215

9.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.07

$1.49 R 24.60

2.01%

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

$35.4K R 585.2K

$30.4K R 502.9K

16.37%

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

$34.7K R 574.2K

$30.8K R 509.4K

12.72%

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

$228 R 3,766

$153 R 2,536

48.50%

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

$38.51 R 637

$34.83 R 576

10.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 628

$37.52 R 620

1.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 584

$32.98 R 545

7.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 272

$10.85 R 179

51.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 140

$6.48 R 107

30.71%

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

$247 R 4,082

$265 R 4,378

-6.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 127.7K

$6,306 R 104.2K

22.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 961

$54.2 R 895

7.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 732

$34.07 R 563

30.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,862

$98.2 R 1,623

14.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,835

$85.0 R 1,404

30.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,689

$438 R 7,243

19.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,732

$403 R 6,668

0.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 18.0K

$650 R 10.7K

68.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.9K

$836 R 13.8K

7.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 17.0K

$799 R 13.2K

28.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.4K

$679 R 11.2K

10.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.9K

$1,098 R 18.1K

59.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.92

-0.09%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kuruman: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

Kuruman

$403 34.7% 1% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

Kuruman

$226 19.4% 25.8% $79

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

Kuruman

$203 17.5% 7.7% $17

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

Kuruman

$150 12.9% 13.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Kuruman

$122 10.5% 16.8% $25

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Kuruman

$11 * 1% 89.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Kuruman

$46 4% 12.1% $6.3

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 $438 in Kuruman. 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 59% higher in Johannesburg. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Johannesburg versus $38 in Kuruman. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $203 – making Kuruman the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Kuruman

🕒 Local time

21:12 9:12 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

9,093

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 Kuruman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 21% more than Kuruman, 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 $2,110 per month in Johannesburg and $1,743 in Kuruman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kuruman, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $438 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,162 in Kuruman. That makes Kuruman about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Johannesburg and $265 in Kuruman. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,162 in Kuruman, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,162 in Kuruman to $1,406 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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