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

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 1.5% more expensive than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 13.6% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 4.7% cheaper than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 13.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.11 R 181

$7.96 R 130

39.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.51 R 742

$43.18 R 704

5.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 R 80.4

$5.51 R 89.8

-10.53%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R 35.49

$2.12 R 34.57

2.83%

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

$0.98 R 16.03

$0.87 R 14.16

12.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.70

$0.69 R 11.29

13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 43.79

$1.63 R 26.61

65.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 39.86

$2.42 R 39.49

1.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.40

$1.07 R 17.46

11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 R 17.82

$0.80 R 13.07

36.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 R 27.93

$1.50 R 24.48

14.00%

Eggs

$2.46 R 40.17

$2.25 R 36.69

9.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.33 R 136

$7.04 R 115

18.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 R 78.5

$4.69 R 76.4

2.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 R 108

$7.02 R 114

-5.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.43

$1.66 R 27.14

-2.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.83

$1.76 R 28.75

-13.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.35

$2.00 R 32.67

-25.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 26.83

$1.67 R 27.16

-1.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.37

$1.48 R 24.06

-3.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.68

$1.78 R 28.98

-21.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 R 16.95

$1.28 R 20.92

-18.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.41

$0.96 R 15.69

-1.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 R 50.7

$2.90 R 47.29

7.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 98.8

$3.61 R 58.9

67.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.24

$1.45 R 23.62

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 R 27.00

$1.78 R 28.94

-6.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 R 27.18

$2.70 R 44.03

-38.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.7 R 1,120

$18.09 R 295

279.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R 17.94

$1.64 R 26.71

-32.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.24

$0.53 R 8.59

75.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 R 66.5

$3.97 R 64.7

2.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.13

$1.24 R 20.29

-0.81%

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

$22.6K R 369.0K

$24.0K R 391.2K

-5.69%

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

$24.2K R 393.7K

$22.6K R 368.0K

6.99%

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

$117 R 1,909

$237 R 3,857

-50.50%

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

$40.39 R 658

$30.12 R 491

34.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.53 R 693

$58.2 R 948

-26.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.90 R 553

$38.31 R 624

-11.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.94 R 227

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R 120

$5.08 R 82.8

44.69%

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

$204 R 3,331

$149 R 2,427

37.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,925 R 80.3K

$4,742 R 77.3K

3.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.61 R 809

$61.1 R 996

-18.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.99 R 538

$38.43 R 626

-14.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 R 1,503

$181 R 2,947

-48.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 R 1,294

$73.5 R 1,197

8.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,851

$208 R 3,398

101.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,101

$185 R 3,018

102.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 R 14.8K

$518 R 8,449

74.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.7K

$381 R 6,212

87.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,050 R 17.1K

$756 R 12.3K

38.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$768 R 12.5K

$445 R 7,247

72.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,601 R 26.1K

$884 R 14.4K

81.10%

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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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