Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Richards Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Richards Bay

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 26.4% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 27.5% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 14.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 R 186

$7.63 R 125

48.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.44 R 745

$28.13 R 461

61.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 R 81.6

$5.11 R 83.8

-2.54%

Cappuccino

$2.25 R 36.91

$1.92 R 31.54

17.19%

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

$1.00 R 16.34

$0.94 R 15.41

6.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.39

$0.71 R 11.72

7.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 R 43.41

$1.44 R 23.62

84.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R 40.99

$1.71 R 27.99

46.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R 18.68

$0.91 R 14.85

25.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 R 17.86

$0.92 R 15.12

18.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.75

$1.43 R 23.49

13.99%

Eggs

$2.42 R 39.68

$2.16 R 35.49

12.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 R 132

$7.40 R 121

9.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.73 R 77.5

$4.38 R 71.8

7.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.53 R 107

$5.50 R 90.2

18.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.28

$1.56 R 25.57

2.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.17

$1.43 R 23.43

2.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.35

$1.33 R 21.86

16.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.18

$1.36 R 22.28

17.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.57

$1.14 R 18.69

26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.67

$1.04 R 17.05

38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 R 17.06

$1.01 R 16.60

2.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.65

$0.91 R 14.92

4.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 R 50.8

$2.39 R 39.22

29.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 98.5

$4.93 R 80.8

21.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.46

$1.39 R 22.76

-5.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 R 27.24

$1.75 R 28.64

-5.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 R 27.11

$1.69 R 27.66

-2.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 R 1,128

$95.5 R 1,566

-27.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R 18.01

$1.64 R 26.83

-32.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R 15.81

$0.62 R 10.12

54.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 R 64.6

$6.83 R 112

-42.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R 21.04

$1.29 R 21.13

-0.78%

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

$22.3K R 366.1K

$20.2K R 331.8K

10.34%

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

$23.7K R 388.8K

$24.6K R 403.6K

-3.65%

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

$118 R 1,929

$132 R 2,165

-10.89%

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

$39.72 R 651

$29.37 R 482

35.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.09 R 690

$33.37 R 547

26.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.67 R 552

$32.74 R 537

2.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.89 R 228

$4.40 R 72.2

215.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 R 118

$6.70 R 110

7.01%

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

$204 R 3,343

$92.0 R 1,509

121.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,848 R 79.5K

$2,454 R 40.2K

97.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.3 R 841

$41.66 R 683

23.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.28 R 546

$18.73 R 307

77.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.5 R 1,485

$84.9 R 1,393

6.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 R 1,270

$72.5 R 1,189

6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 R 6,792

$398 R 6,528

4.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,128

$288 R 4,728

29.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 R 14.9K

$855 R 14.0K

5.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 R 11.6K

$613 R 10.1K

15.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,001 R 16.4K

$306 R 5,011

227.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$752 R 12.3K

$679 R 11.1K

10.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,606 R 26.3K

$1,110 R 18.2K

44.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.51

12.01

-4.16%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: January 12, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: January 11, 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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