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

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 10% more expensive than Paarl without rent, and 18.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 8.7% more expensive than Paarl without rent, and 5.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.4 R 203
$11.07 R 197
2.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.89 R 798
$44.32 R 788
1.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.98 R 88.7
$5.01 R 89.1
-0.60%
Cappuccino
$2.18 R 38.8
$2 R 35.62
9.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 18.45
$0.8 R 14.22
30.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.39
$0.87 R 15.49
-13.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.7 R 48.05
$2.27 R 40.34
18.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 45.29
$2.56 R 45.61
-0.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.2 R 21.39
$1.15 R 20.4
4.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.1 R 19.5
$0.93 R 16.57
18.28%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 R 30.51
$1.87 R 33.24
-8.02%
Eggs
$2.47 R 43.92
$1.89 R 33.56
30.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.04 R 143
$8.16 R 145
-1.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.91 R 87.4
$5.1 R 90.8
-3.73%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.75 R 120
$7.73 R 137
-12.68%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 R 30.11
$1.49 R 26.49
13.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 R 27.16
$1.36 R 24.15
12.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.22
$0.94 R 16.65
56.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.14
$1.38 R 24.53
14.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 R 25.8
$0.83 R 14.82
74.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 R 24.78
$0.86 R 15.22
61.63%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 R 18.64
$1.08 R 19.26
-2.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 R 16.87
$0.89 R 15.88
6.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 R 54.1
$2.81 R 49.99
8.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.99 R 107
$5.05 R 89.9
18.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.18 R 20.96
11.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 R 29.74
$0.88 R 15.71
89.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.7 R 30.26
$1.11 R 19.69
53.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 R 1,265
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.48
$1.38 R 24.56
-20.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 R 16.73
$0.94 R 16.64
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.1 R 72.9
$4.44 R 78.9
-7.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R 21.58
$1.25 R 22.22
-3.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K R 396.4K
$21K R 374.3K
5.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K R 433.4K
$17.1K R 304.7K
42.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 R 2,069
$74.1 R 1,317
57.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.29 R 717
$33.08 R 588
21.80%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.05 R 748
$40.98 R 729
2.61%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.62 R 616
$25.11 R 447
37.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.93 R 248
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.23 R 129
$6 R 107
20.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$206 R 3,665
$201 R 3,570
2.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,981 R 88.6K
$4,129 R 73.4K
20.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.6 R 899
$39.13 R 696
29.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.58 R 597
$28.37 R 505
18.36%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.2 R 1,621
$107 R 1,901
-14.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 R 1,397
$85.2 R 1,516
-7.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$423 R 7,519
$680 R 12.1K
-37.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,592
$337 R 6,000
9.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$901 R 16K
$1,205 R 21.4K
-25.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$692 R 12.3K
$813 R 14.5K
-14.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,111 R 19.8K
$719 R 12.8K
54.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$748 R 13.3K
$619 R 11K
20.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Paarl
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,585 R 28.2K
$1,297 R 23.1K
22.21%
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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Paarl: October 28, 2025

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