Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Polokwane Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Polokwane

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 23.7% more expensive than Polokwane without rent, and 43.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 21% more expensive than Polokwane without rent, and 39.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.08 R 185

$9.82 R 164

12.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.69 R 765

$41.38 R 693

10.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 R 82.8

$5.00 R 83.7

-1.00%

Cappuccino

$2.23 R 37.33

$2.24 R 37.46

-0.45%

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

$1.00 R 16.71

$0.81 R 13.56

23.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R 13.47

$0.81 R 13.57

-1.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 R 44.16

$1.73 R 28.89

52.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 41.09

$1.98 R 33.16

23.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 20.16

$1.14 R 19.14

5.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 R 17.52

$0.95 R 15.84

10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.33

$1.71 R 28.60

-4.68%

Eggs

$2.56 R 42.85

$2.44 R 40.85

4.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 R 142

$7.07 R 118

19.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 R 80.5

$3.28 R 54.9

46.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 R 112

$5.47 R 91.6

22.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R 27.17

$1.64 R 27.38

-1.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.39

$1.54 R 25.81

-5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.68

$1.54 R 25.81

-0.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.85

$1.67 R 27.97

-4.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.94

$1.46 R 24.40

-2.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.52

$1.23 R 20.56

13.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 18.10

$1.03 R 17.26

4.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.98

$0.77 R 12.86

15.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 52.6

$2.73 R 45.73

15.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$4.91 R 82.3

23.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.75

$1.13 R 18.91

20.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 R 27.68

$1.26 R 21.04

30.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 R 28.52

$3.21 R 53.7

-47.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.1 R 1,190

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 R 19.18

$0.87 R 14.56

32.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 15.01

$0.95 R 15.85

-5.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 R 67.1

$4.13 R 69.1

-2.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R 21.40

$1.23 R 20.67

4.07%

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

$22.5K R 376.0K

$13.9K R 232.7K

61.59%

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

$23.7K R 397.3K

$22.2K R 372.3K

6.72%

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

$118 R 1,973

$120 R 2,013

-1.98%

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

$40.87 R 684

$40.80 R 683

0.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.16 R 723

$36.42 R 610

18.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.37 R 575

$22.14 R 371

55.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.89 R 233

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 122

$7.48 R 125

-2.54%

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

$208 R 3,489

$169 R 2,825

23.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,878 R 81.7K

$1,350 R 22.6K

261.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 R 853

$33.06 R 553

54.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 R 571

$34.23 R 573

-0.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 R 1,501

$74.5 R 1,247

20.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 R 1,338

$79.6 R 1,332

0.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 R 6,946

$256 R 4,284

62.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,206

$174 R 2,911

113.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 R 15.2K

$371 R 6,208

144.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 R 11.7K

$277 R 4,637

151.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,061 R 17.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$770 R 12.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,669 R 27.9K

$1,565 R 26.2K

6.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.51

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

Last update for Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: 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

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