Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Midrand Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Midrand

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 4.1% more expensive than Midrand without rent, and 7.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 7.7% more expensive than Midrand without rent, and 11.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Midrand
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.08 R 185
$5.21 R 87.2
112.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.69 R 765
$27.50 R 460
66.15%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.95 R 82.8
$4.81 R 80.5
2.91%
Cappuccino
$2.23 R 37.33
$1.44 R 24.13
54.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.71
$1.00 R 16.70
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 R 13.47
$0.83 R 13.88
-3.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.64 R 44.16
$2.28 R 38.19
15.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 R 41.09
$2.30 R 38.48
6.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Midrand
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 R 20.16
$1.03 R 17.27
16.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 R 17.52
$1.06 R 17.80
-0.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 R 27.33
$1.30 R 21.70
25.38%
Eggs
$2.56 R 42.85
$2.42 R 40.58
5.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.46 R 142
$8.30 R 139
1.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.81 R 80.5
$4.92 R 82.4
-2.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.68 R 112
$6.83 R 114
-2.20%
Apples (1kg)
$1.62 R 27.17
$1.66 R 27.80
-2.41%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.39
$0.99 R 16.58
47.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 R 25.68
$1.48 R 24.72
3.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.60 R 26.85
$1.39 R 23.22
15.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 R 23.94
$1.43 R 23.90
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.40 R 23.52
$1.46 R 24.39
-4.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 18.10
$1.09 R 18.29
-0.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.98
$0.96 R 16.11
-7.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.14 R 52.6
$3.11 R 52.0
0.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.06 R 101
$5.65 R 94.7
7.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 R 22.75
$0.88 R 14.67
54.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 R 27.68
$1.09 R 18.30
51.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Midrand
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 28.52
$0.87 R 14.57
95.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 R 1,190
$51.8 R 867
37.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.15 R 19.18
$1.13 R 18.98
1.77%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 15.01
$0.52 R 8.77
73.08%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.01 R 67.1
$4.07 R 68.1
-1.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 R 21.40
$1.23 R 20.60
4.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K R 376.0K
$22.5K R 376.4K
-0.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 397.3K
$23.9K R 400.0K
-0.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Midrand
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 R 1,973
$97.7 R 1,635
20.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.87 R 684
$22.11 R 370
84.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.16 R 723
$43.40 R 727
-0.55%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Midrand
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.37 R 575
$54.9 R 919
-37.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.89 R 233
$4.37 R 73.2
217.85%
Cinema Ticket
$7.29 R 122
$7.17 R 120
1.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Midrand
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 R 3,489
$166 R 2,771
25.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,878 R 81.7K
$4,958 R 83.0K
-1.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Midrand
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.0 R 853
$51.4 R 860
-0.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.10 R 571
$33.54 R 562
1.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.7 R 1,501
$78.2 R 1,308
14.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.9 R 1,338
$79.7 R 1,333
0.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Midrand
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$415 R 6,946
$441 R 7,389
-5.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,206
$424 R 7,100
-12.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 R 15.2K
$757 R 12.7K
20.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$698 R 11.7K
$739 R 12.4K
-5.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,061 R 17.8K
$773 R 12.9K
37.22%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$770 R 12.9K
$665 R 11.1K
15.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Midrand
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,669 R 27.9K
$492 R 8,232
239.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
11.51
-

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

Last update for Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

Last update for Midrand: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities