Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Scottburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Scottburgh: $1,105 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
Learn more

Johannesburg Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Scottburgh
Learn more

Scottburgh Living Index

Jump to prices

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Scottburgh

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Scottburgh

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,105 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
Scottburgh $1,105

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,736 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Scottburgh $1,736

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,368 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,983
Scottburgh $2,368

Johannesburg costs about 27% more than Scottburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Scottburgh is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 197

$8.66 R 144

37.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 744

$36.96 R 613

21.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 123

$6.09 R 101

21.51%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.60

$2.59 R 43.05

-5.41%

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

$1.23 R 20.36

$1.10 R 18.28

11.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.31

$0.82 R 13.53

12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.68

$2.35 R 38.98

4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 45.44

$2.34 R 38.83

17.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.77

$1.24 R 20.50

5.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.88

$0.96 R 15.91

31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.56

$1.49 R 24.70

15.44%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.68

$2.29 R 37.98

14.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 147

$8.04 R 133

10.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 94.2

$5.21 R 86.5

9.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 150

$7.26 R 120

24.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.42

$1.97 R 32.71

5.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.63

$1.86 R 30.92

2.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$1.94 R 32.24

-5.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 34.01

$1.60 R 26.61

28.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.24

$1.51 R 25.03

12.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.95

$1.37 R 22.69

32.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 25.00

$1.16 R 19.20

30.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.83

$1.18 R 19.62

6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 58.1

$3.54 R 58.7

-1.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 101

$4.87 R 80.8

24.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.90

$1.50 R 24.84

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 38.28

$2.02 R 33.51

14.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.92

$1.88 R 31.26

-13.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,505

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.65

$0.44 R 7.24

86.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.21

$0.71 R 11.73

29.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 237

$7.73 R 128

84.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.17

$1.50 R 24.85

1.33%

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

$35.4K R 587.3K

$35.9K R 596.4K

-1.53%

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

$34.7K R 576.4K

$34.1K R 565.6K

1.90%

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

$228 R 3,780

$149 R 2,473

52.83%

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

$38.51 R 639

$38.28 R 635

0.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 631

$39.10 R 649

-2.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 586

$30.86 R 512

14.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 273

$13.26 R 220

24.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 141

$7.54 R 125

12.33%

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

$247 R 4,097

$311 R 5,166

-20.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 128.2K

$7,387 R 122.6K

4.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 964

$52.5 R 871

10.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 735

$27.25 R 452

62.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,869

$95.5 R 1,584

17.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,842

$83.8 R 1,391

32.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,721

$361 R 5,996

45.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,757

$368 R 6,113

10.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 18.1K

$821 R 13.6K

32.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.9K

$792 R 13.1K

13.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 17.1K

$759 R 12.6K

35.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.4K

$715 R 11.9K

4.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 29.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.7

-6.75%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Scottburgh: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

Scottburgh

$368 33.4% 9.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

Scottburgh

$226 20.5% 25.6% $78

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

Scottburgh

$193 17.5% 12.3% $27

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

Scottburgh

$143 12.9% 17.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Scottburgh

$117 10.6% 20.5% $30

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Scottburgh

$12 * 1% 88.8% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Scottburgh

$46 4.2% 12.1% $6.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Johannesburg versus $361 in Scottburgh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Johannesburg versus $37 in Scottburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $193 – making Scottburgh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Scottburgh

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

23,949

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Johannesburg Scottburgh 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
Scottburgh

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 Scottburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 27% more than Scottburgh, 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 $2,110 per month in Johannesburg and $1,657 in Scottburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Scottburgh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $361 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,105 in Scottburgh. That makes Scottburgh about 21% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Johannesburg and $311 in Scottburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,105 in Scottburgh to $1,406 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.