Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Secunda

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,027 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Secunda

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,027 in Secunda, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,428
Secunda $1,027

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,667 in Secunda, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,226
Secunda $1,667

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,306 in Secunda, rent included.

Johannesburg $3,023
Secunda $2,306

Johannesburg costs about 39% more than Secunda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 5% above the global median, while Secunda is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$6.20 R 102

99.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$30.52 R 503

51.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$5.22 R 86.0

42.15%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.27 R 37.42

7.93%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$0.81 R 13.38

58.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.51 R 8.33

80.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$1.07 R 17.59

120.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$1.38 R 22.72

104.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.16 R 19.14

18.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$0.87 R 14.33

44.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.84 R 30.33

-6.52%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$2.43 R 40.04

13.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.53 R 141

5.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$4.88 R 80.4

17.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$7.11 R 117

28.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$1.75 R 28.78

21.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$1.68 R 27.69

11.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.80 R 29.60

1.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$1.65 R 27.15

24.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.12 R 18.50

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.18 R 19.52

51.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$1.24 R 20.38

18.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$1.30 R 21.48

0.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.35 R 55.3

5.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$5.01 R 82.6

18.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.53 R 25.21

20.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$1.92 R 31.66

21.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

$1.37 R 22.65

50.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.29 R 4.74

203.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.76 R 12.51

14.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$14.36 R 237

2.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.57 R 25.85

-2.55%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$35.7K R 587.4K

0.21%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$35.5K R 584.4K

-0.67%

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

$227 R 3,743

$156 R 2,569

45.67%

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

$39.37 R 649

$38.00 R 626

3.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$37.12 R 612

1.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$32.65 R 538

15.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

$10.92 R 180

57.14%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$7.33 R 121

15.01%

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

$248 R 4,089

$91.7 R 1,510

170.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$5,457 R 89.9K

0.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$54.3 R 895

10.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$32.82 R 541

37.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$94.2 R 1,553

18.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$82.6 R 1,360

35.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$403 R 6,638

28.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$324 R 5,336

28.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$708 R 11.7K

50.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$841 R 13.8K

7.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

$839 R 13.8K

23.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$602 R 9,912

26.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

$1,466 R 24.2K

17.07%

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 Secunda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Secunda

$324 31.5% 22.2% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Secunda

$231 22.5% 24% $73

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Secunda

$191 18.6% 14.4% $32

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Secunda

$106 10.3% 40% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Secunda

$119 11.6% 19.9% $30

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Secunda

$9.6 * 0.9% 90.9% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Secunda

$47 4.6% 13.5% $7.4

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 $403 in Secunda. 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 17% 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 $31.00 in Secunda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $191 – making Secunda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Secunda

🕒 Local time

18:12 6:12 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

40,198

💱 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 Secunda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 39% more than Secunda, 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 $1,541 in Secunda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Secunda, 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 $1,027 in Secunda. That's a gap of about 39%.

Kindergarten costs $248 per month in Johannesburg and $91.7 in Secunda. 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 Secunda, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Secunda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Secunda costs $1,027 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 Secunda. 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.