Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 18.7% more expensive than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 10.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 7.9% more expensive than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 13.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.08 R 183

$8.26 R 136

34.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.69 R 753

$42.79 R 705

6.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 R 81.5

$5.70 R 94.0

-13.16%

Cappuccino

$2.23 R 36.75

$2.13 R 35.08

4.69%

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

$1.00 R 16.45

$0.92 R 15.23

8.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R 13.26

$0.74 R 12.14

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 R 43.47

$1.71 R 28.21

54.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 40.46

$2.40 R 39.55

2.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 19.85

$1.04 R 17.09

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 R 17.25

$0.83 R 13.62

26.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.91

$1.51 R 24.92

7.95%

Eggs

$2.56 R 42.19

$2.28 R 37.53

12.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 R 139

$7.15 R 118

18.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 R 79.3

$4.68 R 77.1

2.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 R 110

$6.87 R 113

-2.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.74

$1.59 R 26.16

1.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.01

$1.69 R 27.86

-13.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.28

$1.96 R 32.27

-21.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.44

$1.68 R 27.68

-4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.57

$1.47 R 24.27

-2.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.15

$1.84 R 30.30

-23.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 17.82

$1.28 R 21.15

-15.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.74

$0.94 R 15.48

-5.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 51.8

$2.84 R 46.80

10.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 99.9

$3.57 R 58.9

69.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.40

$1.40 R 23.02

-2.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 R 27.25

$1.78 R 29.30

-7.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 R 28.08

$2.77 R 45.59

-38.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.1 R 1,172

$17.97 R 296

295.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 R 18.88

$1.70 R 28.06

-32.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.78

$0.56 R 9.22

60.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 R 66.0

$4.08 R 67.2

-1.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R 21.07

$1.21 R 19.98

5.79%

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

$22.5K R 370.2K

$24.1K R 397.4K

-6.85%

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

$23.7K R 391.2K

$22.6K R 373.0K

4.86%

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

$118 R 1,943

$236 R 3,897

-50.15%

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

$40.87 R 674

$30.29 R 499

34.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.16 R 711

$58.3 R 960

-25.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.37 R 566

$38.72 R 638

-11.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.89 R 229

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 120

$4.92 R 81.1

48.17%

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

$208 R 3,435

$152 R 2,505

37.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,878 R 80.4K

$4,899 R 80.7K

-0.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 R 840

$61.1 R 1,007

-16.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 R 562

$38.83 R 640

-12.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 R 1,478

$177 R 2,923

-49.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 R 1,317

$75.0 R 1,237

6.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 R 6,838

$209 R 3,448

98.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,110

$187 R 3,078

98.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 R 15.0K

$508 R 8,370

78.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 R 11.5K

$378 R 6,238

84.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,061 R 17.5K

$785 R 12.9K

35.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$770 R 12.7K

$454 R 7,488

69.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,669 R 27.5K

$923 R 15.2K

80.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.51

11.5

0.09%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: March 2, 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

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