Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 9% more expensive than Port Elizabeth without rent, and 0.1% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 5.5% more expensive than Port Elizabeth without rent, and 2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Port Elizabeth
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.4 R 203
$8.78 R 156
29.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.89 R 798
$45.62 R 811
-1.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.98 R 88.7
$5.18 R 92.1
-3.86%
Cappuccino
$2.18 R 38.8
$2.18 R 38.79
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 18.45
$1.14 R 20.19
-8.77%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.39
$1.04 R 18.5
-27.88%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.7 R 48.05
$2.49 R 44.24
8.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 45.29
$3.01 R 53.5
-15.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Port Elizabeth
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.2 R 21.39
$1.07 R 18.98
12.15%
White Bread (500g)
$1.1 R 19.5
$0.95 R 16.83
15.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 R 30.51
$1.5 R 26.73
14.67%
Eggs
$2.47 R 43.92
$2.4 R 42.69
2.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.04 R 143
$7.79 R 139
3.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.91 R 87.4
$4.95 R 88
-0.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.75 R 120
$8.28 R 147
-18.48%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 R 30.11
$1.64 R 29.14
3.05%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 R 27.16
$1.36 R 24.14
12.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.22
$1.59 R 28.25
-7.55%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.14
$1.61 R 28.72
-1.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 R 25.8
$1.51 R 26.89
-3.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 R 24.78
$1.13 R 20.11
23.01%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 R 18.64
$1.14 R 20.34
-7.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 R 16.87
$0.99 R 17.52
-4.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 R 54.1
$2.98 R 53
2.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.99 R 107
$4.69 R 83.4
27.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.14 R 20.34
14.91%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 R 29.74
$1.69 R 30.03
-1.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Port Elizabeth
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.7 R 30.26
$1.14 R 20.23
49.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 R 1,265
$33.41 R 594
112.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.48
$2.55 R 45.43
-56.86%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 R 16.73
$0.41 R 7.31
129.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.1 R 72.9
$7.77 R 138
-47.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R 21.58
$1.26 R 22.47
-3.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K R 396.4K
$23.5K R 417.7K
-5.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K R 433.4K
$25.5K R 454.2K
-4.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Port Elizabeth
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 R 2,069
$115 R 2,051
0.85%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.29 R 717
$32.18 R 572
25.20%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.05 R 748
$44.7 R 795
-5.93%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Port Elizabeth
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.62 R 616
$30.02 R 534
15.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.93 R 248
$20.67 R 368
-32.61%
Cinema Ticket
$7.23 R 129
$9.85 R 175
-26.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Port Elizabeth
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$206 R 3,665
$165 R 2,930
25.08%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,981 R 88.6K
$4,774 R 84.9K
4.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Port Elizabeth
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.6 R 899
$66 R 1,173
-23.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.58 R 597
$37.7 R 670
-10.93%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.2 R 1,621
$94.3 R 1,678
-3.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 R 1,397
$89.5 R 1,592
-12.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Port Elizabeth
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$423 R 7,519
$591 R 10.5K
-28.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,592
$438 R 7,794
-15.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$901 R 16K
$1,126 R 20K
-19.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$692 R 12.3K
$856 R 15.2K
-19.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,111 R 19.8K
$873 R 15.5K
27.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$748 R 13.3K
$635 R 11.3K
17.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Port Elizabeth
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,585 R 28.2K
$1,285 R 22.9K
23.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
12.04
-4.40%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 27, 2025

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 28, 2025

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