Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,216 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Port Elizabeth

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Johannesburg and in Port Elizabeth actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,430 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,216 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,430
Port Elizabeth $1,216

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,835 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Port Elizabeth $1,835

A family of three spends $2,960 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,453 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,960
Port Elizabeth $2,453

Johannesburg costs about 18% more than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 6% above the global median, while Port Elizabeth is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 R 197

$11.00 R 181

8.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.02 R 709

$41.67 R 687

3.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R 117

$5.84 R 96.2

21.92%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R 39.72

$2.17 R 35.81

11.06%

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

$1.17 R 19.21

$1.03 R 16.91

13.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R 15.30

$0.76 R 12.59

22.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R 37.03

$2.69 R 44.37

-16.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.49

$3.24 R 53.3

-14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.59

$1.12 R 18.39

16.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 R 21.12

$1.04 R 17.20

23.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.51 R 24.94

13.91%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.34

$2.81 R 46.35

-6.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R 140

$8.58 R 141

-1.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.0

$5.33 R 87.7

2.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R 145

$8.36 R 138

5.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.89

$2.19 R 36.04

-3.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.45

$1.49 R 24.58

20.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.47

$1.70 R 28.04

8.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.99

$1.81 R 29.74

17.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.61

$1.66 R 27.41

4.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.09

$1.45 R 23.83

26.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 R 23.53

$1.26 R 20.72

13.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.99

$0.99 R 16.39

34.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 R 54.3

$3.26 R 53.8

1.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.91 R 97.3

$4.82 R 79.4

22.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.89

$1.27 R 20.99

42.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R 40.95

$1.82 R 30.00

36.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 R 33.11

$1.10 R 18.17

82.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 R 1,481

$36.67 R 604

145.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 R 13.62

$2.04 R 33.68

-59.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.70

$0.50 R 8.25

78.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.42 R 238

$8.45 R 139

70.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.51

$1.48 R 24.38

0.68%

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

$35.2K R 579.4K

$35.8K R 589.5K

-1.72%

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

$32.5K R 534.9K

$34.1K R 562.5K

-4.90%

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

$233 R 3,841

$125 R 2,058

86.62%

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

$37.52 R 618

$34.90 R 575

7.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.32 R 598

$44.55 R 734

-18.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.44 R 600

$32.20 R 530

13.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 R 284

$23.27 R 383

-25.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 R 126

$10.74 R 177

-28.68%

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

$246 R 4,048

$177 R 2,924

38.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,533 R 91.2K

$6,046 R 99.6K

-8.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 R 963

$72.4 R 1,193

-19.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.21 R 745

$38.28 R 631

18.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,817

$110 R 1,806

0.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,734

$95.6 R 1,574

10.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 R 8,127

$598 R 9,859

-17.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 R 7,160

$415 R 6,838

4.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 R 16.2K

$808 R 13.3K

21.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 R 14.8K

$682 R 11.2K

31.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$967 R 15.9K

$764 R 12.6K

26.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$746 R 12.3K

$522 R 8,604

42.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,738 R 28.6K

$1,625 R 26.8K

6.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.94

-8.63%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$435 30.4%

Port Elizabeth

$415 34.1% 4.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$307 21.5%

Port Elizabeth

$204 16.8% 33.4% $103

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.3%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 9.9% $22

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$171 12%

Port Elizabeth

$159 13.1% 7.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.1%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 1% $1.5

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.2%

Port Elizabeth

$46 3.8% 55.8% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.6%

Port Elizabeth

$54 4.4% 3.7% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $493 in Johannesburg versus $598 in Port Elizabeth. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 7% higher in Johannesburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Johannesburg versus $42.00 in Port Elizabeth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $197 – making Port Elizabeth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

1,050,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Johannesburg Port Elizabeth 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
Port Elizabeth

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Port Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 18% more than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,145 per month in Johannesburg and $1,824 in Port Elizabeth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Elizabeth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Johannesburg and $42.00 in Port Elizabeth. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,430 in Johannesburg and $1,216 in Port Elizabeth. That's a gap of about 18%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Elizabeth, where all-in costs run around $1,216, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Port Elizabeth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Port Elizabeth costs $1,216 versus $1,430 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Port Elizabeth. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.