Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Randburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Randburg: $1,074 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Randburg
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Randburg Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Randburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,074

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Randburg

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,074 in Randburg, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,428
Randburg $1,074

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,735 in Randburg, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,226
Randburg $1,735

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,396 in Randburg, rent included.

Johannesburg $3,023
Randburg $2,396

Johannesburg costs about 33% more than Randburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 5% above the global median, while Randburg is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$10.46 R 172

18.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$44.98 R 741

2.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$5.23 R 86.1

41.87%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.46 R 40.49

-0.41%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$1.23 R 20.34

4.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.91 R 15.04

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$2.55 R 41.99

-7.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$3.41 R 56.2

-17.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.35 R 22.18

1.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$1.17 R 19.22

7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.76 R 28.97

-2.27%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$2.72 R 44.77

1.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.63 R 142

3.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$5.76 R 94.9

-0.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$7.19 R 119

27.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$2.11 R 34.69

0.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$1.63 R 26.88

14.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.83 R 30.19

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$1.65 R 27.15

24.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.73 R 28.55

-2.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.70 R 28.08

5.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$1.23 R 20.21

19.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$1.28 R 21.05

2.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.57 R 58.8

-1.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$5.00 R 82.3

18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.59 R 26.27

16.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$2.17 R 35.72

7.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.29 R 4.76

203.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.96 R 15.74

-9.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$14.62 R 241

1.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.51 R 24.83

1.32%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$35.9K R 592.3K

-0.62%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$34.1K R 561.8K

3.33%

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

$227 R 3,743

$154 R 2,537

47.52%

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

$39.37 R 649

$39.21 R 646

0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$37.34 R 615

0.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$20.21 R 333

87.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

$4.49 R 74.0

282.18%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$7.46 R 123

13.00%

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

$248 R 4,089

$267 R 4,392

-6.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$5,565 R 91.7K

-1.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$53.2 R 877

13.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$45.95 R 757

-1.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$113 R 1,856

-0.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$85.3 R 1,405

31.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$314 R 5,179

65.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$306 R 5,043

36.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$624 R 10.3K

71.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$722 R 11.9K

25.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

$602 R 9,922

72.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$792 R 13.1K

-3.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

$1,953 R 32.2K

-12.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.34

-3.79%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Randburg: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Randburg

$306 28.5% 26.5% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Randburg

$231 21.5% 24.2% $74

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Randburg

$206 19.2% 7.4% $16

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Randburg

$157 14.6% 11.1% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Randburg

$134 12.5% 9.8% $15

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Randburg

$5.1 * 0.5% 95.2% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Randburg

$35 3.3% 35.8% $20

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 $314 in Randburg. 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 14% higher in Randburg, 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 $45.00 in Randburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $206 – making Randburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Randburg

🕒 Local time

13:41 1:41 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

335,000

💱 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

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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 Randburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 33% more than Randburg, 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 $1,611 in Randburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Randburg, 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 $1,074 in Randburg. That's a gap of about 33%.

Kindergarten costs $248 per month in Johannesburg and $267 in Randburg. 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 Randburg, where all-in costs run around $1,074, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Randburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Randburg costs $1,074 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 Randburg. 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.