Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Paarl Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Paarl

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 12% more expensive than Paarl without rent, and 23.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 17.3% more expensive than Paarl without rent, and 5.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.08 R 185
$10.95 R 183
1.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.69 R 765
$45.28 R 758
0.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.95 R 82.8
$4.84 R 81.0
2.27%
Cappuccino
$2.23 R 37.33
$1.98 R 33.22
12.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.71
$0.85 R 14.23
17.65%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 R 13.47
$0.80 R 13.41
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.64 R 44.16
$2.23 R 37.30
18.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 R 41.09
$2.49 R 41.74
-1.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 R 20.16
$1.11 R 18.56
8.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 R 17.52
$0.94 R 15.66
11.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 R 27.33
$1.87 R 31.24
-12.83%
Eggs
$2.56 R 42.85
$1.89 R 31.57
35.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.46 R 142
$8.18 R 137
3.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.81 R 80.5
$5.12 R 85.7
-6.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.68 R 112
$7.48 R 125
-10.70%
Apples (1kg)
$1.62 R 27.17
$1.48 R 24.75
9.46%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.39
$1.39 R 23.34
5.04%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 R 25.68
$0.98 R 16.36
56.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.60 R 26.85
$1.38 R 23.03
15.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 R 23.94
$0.77 R 12.88
85.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.40 R 23.52
$0.87 R 14.61
60.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 18.10
$1.05 R 17.65
2.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.98
$0.85 R 14.21
4.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.14 R 52.6
$2.88 R 48.26
9.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.06 R 101
$5.15 R 86.2
17.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 R 22.75
$1.17 R 19.62
16.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 R 27.68
$0.86 R 14.37
91.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 28.52
$1.09 R 18.21
55.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 R 1,190
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.15 R 19.18
$1.37 R 22.92
-16.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 15.01
$0.93 R 15.52
-3.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.01 R 67.1
$4.38 R 73.4
-8.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 R 21.40
$1.25 R 20.87
2.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K R 376.0K
$20.9K R 349.5K
7.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 397.3K
$16.7K R 278.8K
42.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 R 1,973
$73.7 R 1,234
59.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.87 R 684
$33.22 R 556
23.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.16 R 723
$41.62 R 697
3.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.37 R 575
$24.18 R 405
42.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.89 R 233
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.29 R 122
$6.07 R 102
20.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 R 3,489
$195 R 3,265
6.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,878 R 81.7K
$4,281 R 71.7K
13.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.0 R 853
$37.84 R 633
34.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.10 R 571
$28.26 R 473
20.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.7 R 1,501
$110 R 1,833
-18.11%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.9 R 1,338
$83.5 R 1,397
-4.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$415 R 6,946
$694 R 11.6K
-40.20%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,206
$339 R 5,667
9.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 R 15.2K
$1,212 R 20.3K
-25.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$698 R 11.7K
$838 R 14.0K
-16.78%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,061 R 17.8K
$910 R 15.2K
16.59%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$770 R 12.9K
$2,519 R 42.2K
-69.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,669 R 27.9K
$1,064 R 17.8K
56.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
11.4
0.96%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

Last update for Paarl: 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