Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Oudtshoorn

For one person, living is cheaper in Oudtshoorn: $1,151 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Johannesburg, South Africa
Oudtshoorn, South Africa
Johannesburg
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,406
/mo nomad
Oudtshoorn
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,151
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Oudtshoorn

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,151 in Oudtshoorn, rent included.

  • Johannesburg $1,406
  • Oudtshoorn $1,151

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,686 in Oudtshoorn, rent included.

  • Johannesburg $2,195
  • Oudtshoorn $1,686

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,220 in Oudtshoorn, rent included.

  • Johannesburg $2,983
  • Oudtshoorn $2,220

Johannesburg costs about 22% more than Oudtshoorn, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Oudtshoorn is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Oudtshoorn
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.88 R 195
$8.44 R 138
40.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.83 R 736
$33.62 R 552
33.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.40 R 121
$5.83 R 95.7
26.93%
Cappuccino
$2.45 R 40.15
$2.26 R 37.13
8.41%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.23 R 20.13
$0.89 R 14.67
38.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 R 15.14
$0.92 R 15.04
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.45 R 40.23
$2.33 R 38.25
5.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 R 44.94
$2.41 R 39.51
13.69%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Oudtshoorn
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.31 R 21.53
$1.07 R 17.53
22.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.26 R 20.65
$1.00 R 16.38
26.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 R 28.24
$1.66 R 27.16
3.61%
Eggs
$2.63 R 43.19
$2.52 R 41.31
4.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.87 R 146
$8.09 R 133
9.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.68 R 93.1
$4.84 R 79.5
17.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.04 R 148
$7.84 R 129
15.31%
Apples (1kg)
$2.07 R 34.04
$1.88 R 30.87
10.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 R 31.28
$1.50 R 24.54
27.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 R 29.95
$1.86 R 30.60
-1.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.05 R 33.63
$1.50 R 24.66
36.67%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 R 27.93
$1.27 R 20.78
33.86%
Onion (1kg)
$1.81 R 29.62
$1.46 R 23.93
23.97%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.51 R 24.73
$1.22 R 19.97
23.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.26 R 20.60
$1.34 R 21.99
-5.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.50 R 57.5
$3.63 R 59.6
-3.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.07 R 99.6
$5.42 R 89.0
11.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 R 29.57
$1.50 R 24.66
20.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.31 R 37.85
$1.84 R 30.26
25.54%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Oudtshoorn
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.62 R 26.62
$1.82 R 29.80
-10.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.7 R 1,488
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 R 13.49
$0.89 R 14.68
-7.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.92 R 15.04
$0.86 R 14.06
6.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.30 R 235
$10.04 R 165
42.43%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 R 24.89
$1.46 R 24.02
4.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K R 580.8K
$36.4K R 597.4K
-2.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K R 570.0K
$33.1K R 542.7K
5.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Oudtshoorn
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$228 R 3,738
$170 R 2,792
33.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$38.51 R 632
$31.56 R 518
22.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.02 R 624
$38.52 R 632
-1.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Oudtshoorn
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$35.33 R 580
$33.27 R 546
6.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.47 R 270
$12.12 R 199
35.89%
Cinema Ticket
$8.47 R 139
$6.49 R 106
30.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Oudtshoorn
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$247 R 4,052
$262 R 4,291
-5.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,727 R 126.8K
$6,514 R 106.9K
18.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Oudtshoorn
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$58.1 R 954
$50.3 R 825
15.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.29 R 727
$36.13 R 593
22.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$113 R 1,848
$104 R 1,700
8.73%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$111 R 1,821
$94.6 R 1,552
17.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Oudtshoorn
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$526 R 8,624
$345 R 5,661
52.34%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$407 R 6,682
$396 R 6,499
2.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,091 R 17.9K
$820 R 13.5K
33.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$900 R 14.8K
$645 R 10.6K
39.36%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,029 R 16.9K
$726 R 11.9K
41.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$748 R 12.3K
$690 R 11.3K
8.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Oudtshoorn
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,750 R 28.7K
-
-
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 Oudtshoorn: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
$407
Oudtshoorn
$396 2.7% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
$304
Oudtshoorn
$240 21.1% $64
Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
$220
Oudtshoorn
$192 12.6% $28
Eating Out
Johannesburg
$173
Oudtshoorn
$136 21.5% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
$147
Oudtshoorn
$128 12.7% $19
Getting Around
Johannesburg
$103
Oudtshoorn
$12 * 87.9% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
$52
Oudtshoorn
$46 11.6% $6

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 $345 in Oudtshoorn. 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 $45 in Johannesburg versus $34 in Oudtshoorn. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $192 – making Oudtshoorn the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Johannesburg
🇿🇦 Oudtshoorn
🕒 Local time
11:45 11:45 AM
11:45 11:45 AM
Same time as Johannesburg
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
4,434,827
61,507
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Johannesburg Oudtshoorn 1,000 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Johannesburg
  • Oudtshoorn

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 Oudtshoorn: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Johannesburg or Oudtshoorn?
Johannesburg costs about 22% more than Oudtshoorn, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Johannesburg and in Oudtshoorn?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,110 per month in Johannesburg and $1,727 in Oudtshoorn. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Johannesburg or Oudtshoorn?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Oudtshoorn, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $345 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.
How much does it cost to live in Johannesburg compared to Oudtshoorn?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,151 in Oudtshoorn. That makes Oudtshoorn about 18% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Johannesburg and in Oudtshoorn?
Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Johannesburg and $262 in Oudtshoorn. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Johannesburg or in Oudtshoorn?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,151 in Oudtshoorn. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Johannesburg or Oudtshoorn?
It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,151 in Oudtshoorn to $1,406 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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