Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Roodepoort

For one person, living is cheaper in Roodepoort: $1,182 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Roodepoort
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Roodepoort Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Roodepoort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Roodepoort

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,182 in Roodepoort, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,428
Roodepoort $1,182

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,780 in Roodepoort, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,226
Roodepoort $1,780

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,378 in Roodepoort, rent included.

Johannesburg $3,023
Roodepoort $2,378

Johannesburg costs about 21% more than Roodepoort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 5% above the global median, while Roodepoort is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$11.96 R 197

3.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$46.35 R 764

-0.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$7.18 R 118

3.34%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.43 R 40.04

0.82%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$1.19 R 19.63

7.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.98 R 16.21

-6.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$2.47 R 40.62

-4.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$2.85 R 46.98

-1.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.16 R 19.09

18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$1.17 R 19.28

7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.81 R 29.81

-4.97%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$2.56 R 42.12

7.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.63 R 142

3.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$5.25 R 86.4

9.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$9.14 R 151

0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$1.90 R 31.27

11.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$1.84 R 30.29

1.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.82 R 30.02

0.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$2.12 R 34.89

-2.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.71 R 28.11

-1.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.72 R 28.36

4.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$1.18 R 19.44

24.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$1.26 R 20.79

3.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.43 R 56.5

2.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$6.04 R 99.5

-1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.57 R 25.91

17.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$2.00 R 32.93

16.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

$0.83 R 13.62

148.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.81 R 13.33

8.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.90 R 14.78

-3.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$14.70 R 242

0.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.50 R 24.77

2.00%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$36.1K R 594.5K

-0.99%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$35.2K R 579.5K

0.17%

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

$227 R 3,743

$229 R 3,766

-0.61%

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

$39.37 R 649

$39.18 R 645

0.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$38.14 R 628

-1.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$48.56 R 800

-22.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$7.11 R 117

18.57%

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

$248 R 4,089

$245 R 4,043

1.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$5,559 R 91.6K

-1.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$54.3 R 894

10.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$33.00 R 544

36.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$111 R 1,825

1.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$90.2 R 1,487

24.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$602 R 9,926

-13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$290 R 4,784

43.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$1,515 R 25.0K

-29.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$527 R 8,678

71.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

$1,517 R 25.0K

13.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.25

-3.02%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Roodepoort: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Roodepoort

$290 24.6% 30.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Roodepoort

$306 25.9% 0.6% $1.7

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Roodepoort

$211 17.9% 5.3% $12

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Roodepoort

$173 14.7% 2% $3.5

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Roodepoort

$130 11% 12.5% $19

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Roodepoort

$8.6 * 0.7% 91.8% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Roodepoort

$63 5.3% 14.8% $8.1

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 $602 in Roodepoort. 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 13% 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 $46.00 in Johannesburg versus $46.00 in Roodepoort. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Johannesburg vs $211 in Roodepoort – so Roodepoort wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Roodepoort

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

325,000

💱 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 Roodepoort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 21% more than Roodepoort, 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 $1,772 in Roodepoort. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roodepoort, 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 $1,182 in Roodepoort. That's a gap of about 21%.

Kindergarten costs $248 per month in Johannesburg and $245 in Roodepoort. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Roodepoort, where all-in costs run around $1,182, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Roodepoort it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Roodepoort costs $1,182 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 Roodepoort. 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.