Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Port Shepstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $1,058 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
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Port Shepstone Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Shepstone actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,058 in Port Shepstone, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,428
Port Shepstone $1,058

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,592 in Port Shepstone, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,226
Port Shepstone $1,592

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,126 in Port Shepstone, rent included.

Johannesburg $3,023
Port Shepstone $2,126

Johannesburg costs about 35% more than Port Shepstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 5% above the global median, while Port Shepstone is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$7.68 R 127

60.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$38.93 R 641

18.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$6.06 R 99.8

22.44%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.72 R 44.89

-9.93%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$1.11 R 18.28

15.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.85 R 13.98

8.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$2.46 R 40.54

-4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$2.61 R 42.96

8.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$0.89 R 14.70

53.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$0.71 R 11.74

77.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.20 R 19.80

43.33%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$1.50 R 24.68

84.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$7.14 R 118

25.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$3.63 R 59.8

58.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$7.22 R 119

27.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$1.19 R 19.63

78.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$0.72 R 11.85

159.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$0.62 R 10.27

195.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$1.55 R 25.49

32.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$0.60 R 9.83

180.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.46 R 24.11

22.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$0.92 R 15.18

59.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$0.59 R 9.64

122.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.73 R 61.5

-5.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$4.73 R 78.0

25.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.48 R 24.39

25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$1.95 R 32.05

19.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

$1.72 R 28.37

19.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.41 R 6.78

114.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.75 R 12.42

16.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$7.83 R 129

88.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.33 R 21.86

15.04%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$34.9K R 575.0K

2.37%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$33.1K R 544.9K

6.53%

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

$227 R 3,743

$123 R 2,025

84.80%

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

$39.37 R 649

$18.38 R 303

114.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$37.21 R 613

1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$31.90 R 526

18.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

$9.48 R 156

81.01%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$7.50 R 124

12.40%

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

$248 R 4,089

$314 R 5,180

-21.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$7,567 R 124.7K

-27.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$54.0 R 889

11.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$30.29 R 499

48.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$100 R 1,653

11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$84.3 R 1,389

33.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$426 R 7,013

21.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$418 R 6,887

-0.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$634 R 10.5K

68.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$729 R 12.0K

23.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

$927 R 15.3K

11.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$775 R 12.8K

-1.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

$3,033 R 50.0K

-43.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.78

-7.39%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Port Shepstone

$418 39.5% 0.4% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Port Shepstone

$179 16.9% 41.3% $126

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Port Shepstone

$145 13.7% 35% $78

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Port Shepstone

$138 13% 22.1% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Port Shepstone

$121 11.4% 18.4% $27

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Port Shepstone

$11 * 1.1% 89.5% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Port Shepstone

$47 4.4% 14.3% $7.8

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $519 in Johannesburg versus $426 in Port Shepstone. 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 77% higher in Port Shepstone, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Johannesburg versus $39.00 in Port Shepstone. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $145 – making Port Shepstone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

52,793

💱 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 Shepstone 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
Port Shepstone

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 Shepstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 35% more than Port Shepstone, 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 $2,142 per month in Johannesburg and $1,587 in Port Shepstone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,428 in Johannesburg and $1,058 in Port Shepstone. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $248 per month in Johannesburg and $314 in Port Shepstone. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Shepstone, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Port Shepstone 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 Shepstone costs $1,058 versus $1,428 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 Shepstone. 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.