Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Midrand

For one person, living is cheaper in Midrand: $1,097 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Midrand
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Midrand Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Midrand

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Midrand

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

A single person spends $1,410 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,097 in Midrand, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,410
Midrand $1,097

A couple spends around $2,182 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,641 in Midrand, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,182
Midrand $1,641

A family of three spends $2,954 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,185 in Midrand, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,954
Midrand $2,185

Johannesburg costs about 29% more than Midrand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Midrand is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.92 R 199

$5.71 R 95.4

108.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.33 R 741

$30.15 R 504

47.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 124

$3.12 R 52.1

137.82%

Cappuccino

$2.39 R 39.91

$1.78 R 29.72

34.27%

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

$1.21 R 20.27

$1.23 R 20.50

-1.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.98

$0.92 R 15.39

4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.48

$2.37 R 39.52

2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 R 44.53

$2.39 R 39.99

11.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 R 21.61

$1.33 R 22.27

-3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.95

$1.19 R 19.96

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.48

$1.31 R 21.84

29.77%

Eggs

$2.75 R 45.95

$2.80 R 46.76

-1.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 145

$9.06 R 151

-4.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 R 93.0

$5.55 R 92.8

0.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 R 149

$9.05 R 151

-1.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.73

$2.02 R 33.76

2.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.26

$1.09 R 18.16

66.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.94

$1.75 R 29.32

-1.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.10

$1.49 R 24.90

40.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.47

$1.72 R 28.73

-1.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.83

$1.85 R 30.86

-3.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.90

$1.23 R 20.58

21.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.62

$1.27 R 21.30

-3.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 R 58.2

$3.29 R 55.0

5.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 R 102

$5.42 R 90.5

12.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 R 31.13

$0.94 R 15.72

97.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 R 40.08

$1.24 R 20.75

93.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.82

$1.50 R 25.14

18.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,487

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.58

$0.83 R 13.88

-2.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.51

$0.58 R 9.70

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.32 R 239

$14.67 R 245

-2.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.54

$1.46 R 24.35

4.79%

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

$35.5K R 592.5K

$34.4K R 574.0K

3.24%

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

$34.0K R 568.3K

$30.3K R 505.4K

12.43%

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

$224 R 3,737

$108 R 1,803

107.24%

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

$39.12 R 654

$24.41 R 408

60.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.93 R 617

$37.64 R 629

-1.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 R 593

$32.28 R 539

9.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 R 291

$10.71 R 179

62.75%

Cinema Ticket

$8.29 R 138

$8.73 R 146

-5.04%

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

$240 R 4,007

$183 R 3,062

30.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,471 R 91.4K

-0.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 R 969

$59.3 R 990

-2.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.96 R 751

$45.72 R 764

-1.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,860

$84.3 R 1,409

32.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 R 1,880

$84.2 R 1,407

33.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,793

$492 R 8,226

6.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 R 7,009

$441 R 7,360

-4.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 R 18.4K

$834 R 13.9K

31.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 R 14.8K

$758 R 12.7K

16.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,035 R 17.3K

$867 R 14.5K

19.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$734 R 12.3K

$694 R 11.6K

5.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Midrand: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$419 29.8%

Midrand

$441 40.2% 5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$300 21.3%

Midrand

$170 15.5% 43.3% $130

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.5%

Midrand

$202 18.4% 7.3% $16

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$172 12.2%

Midrand

$102 9.3% 41.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Midrand

$123 11.2% 16.3% $24

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$101 7.2%

Midrand

$9.8 * 0.9% 90.4% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Midrand

$50 4.5% 4.5% $2.3

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 $492 in Midrand. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Johannesburg versus $30 in Midrand. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $202 – making Midrand the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Midrand

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

87,387

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Midrand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 29% more than Midrand, 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 $2,115 per month in Johannesburg and $1,645 in Midrand. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $526 in Johannesburg and $492 in Midrand. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,410 in Johannesburg and $1,097 in Midrand. That makes Midrand about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Johannesburg and $183 in Midrand. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Midrand – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.