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

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 24.2% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 13.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 38.1% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 14% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.11 R 181

$7.78 R 127

42.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.51 R 742

$28.10 R 458

61.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.93 R 80.4

$5.00 R 81.6

-1.40%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R 35.49

$1.99 R 32.42

9.55%

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

$0.98 R 16.03

$0.92 R 15.03

6.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.70

$0.71 R 11.62

9.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 43.79

$1.41 R 23.06

90.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 39.86

$1.66 R 27.09

47.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.40

$0.96 R 15.64

23.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 R 17.82

$0.93 R 15.12

17.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 R 27.93

$1.47 R 23.94

16.33%

Eggs

$2.46 R 40.17

$2.17 R 35.40

13.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.33 R 136

$7.49 R 122

11.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 R 78.5

$4.45 R 72.5

8.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.63 R 108

$5.54 R 90.2

19.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.43

$1.52 R 24.76

6.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.83

$1.42 R 23.19

7.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.35

$1.37 R 22.34

8.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 26.83

$1.29 R 21.07

27.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.37

$1.14 R 18.50

25.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.68

$1.04 R 17.03

33.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 R 16.95

$0.98 R 15.94

6.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.41

$0.96 R 15.64

-1.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 R 50.7

$2.40 R 39.10

29.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 98.8

$4.99 R 81.4

21.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.24

$1.45 R 23.64

-6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 R 27.00

$1.75 R 28.57

-5.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.67 R 27.18

$1.68 R 27.37

-0.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.7 R 1,120

$94.9 R 1,547

-27.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R 17.94

$1.70 R 27.68

-35.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.24

$0.61 R 10.02

52.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 R 66.5

$6.68 R 109

-38.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.13

$1.28 R 20.82

-3.91%

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

$22.6K R 369.0K

$19.8K R 322.6K

14.38%

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

$24.2K R 393.7K

$24.3K R 396.1K

-0.61%

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

$117 R 1,909

$130 R 2,122

-10.05%

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

$40.39 R 658

$29.20 R 476

38.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.53 R 693

$34.07 R 555

24.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.90 R 553

$32.12 R 524

5.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.94 R 227

$4.59 R 74.8

203.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R 120

$6.58 R 107

11.70%

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

$204 R 3,331

$92.5 R 1,507

120.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,925 R 80.3K

$2,448 R 39.9K

101.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.61 R 809

$42.71 R 696

16.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.99 R 538

$18.78 R 306

75.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 R 1,503

$86.3 R 1,407

6.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 R 1,294

$72.0 R 1,174

10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,851

$385 R 6,282

9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,101

$289 R 4,704

29.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$906 R 14.8K

$828 R 13.5K

9.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.7K

$596 R 9,715

19.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,050 R 17.1K

$772 R 12.6K

35.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$768 R 12.5K

$614 R 10.0K

24.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,601 R 26.1K

$1,105 R 18.0K

44.94%

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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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