Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Somerset West Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Somerset West

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 12.9% more expensive than Somerset West without rent, and 17.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 24.8% more expensive than Somerset West without rent, and 10.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Somerset West
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.08 R 185
$8.15 R 137
35.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.69 R 765
$39.79 R 666
14.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.95 R 82.8
$4.79 R 80.3
3.34%
Cappuccino
$2.23 R 37.33
$2.08 R 34.75
7.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.71
$0.81 R 13.56
23.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 R 13.47
$0.83 R 13.94
-3.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.64 R 44.16
$2.59 R 43.36
1.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 R 41.09
$2.56 R 42.81
-4.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Somerset West
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.20 R 20.16
$0.93 R 15.59
29.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 R 17.52
$0.95 R 15.92
10.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.63 R 27.33
$1.93 R 32.23
-15.54%
Eggs
$2.56 R 42.85
$2.16 R 36.17
18.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.46 R 142
$7.78 R 130
8.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.81 R 80.5
$4.81 R 80.5
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.68 R 112
$7.38 R 124
-9.49%
Apples (1kg)
$1.62 R 27.17
$1.55 R 26.03
4.52%
Banana (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.39
$1.44 R 24.07
1.39%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.53 R 25.68
$1.44 R 24.13
6.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.60 R 26.85
$1.54 R 25.72
3.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.43 R 23.94
$1.11 R 18.63
28.83%
Onion (1kg)
$1.40 R 23.52
$1.19 R 19.86
17.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 18.10
$1.06 R 17.67
1.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.98
$1.00 R 16.77
-11.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.14 R 52.6
$3.12 R 52.2
0.64%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.06 R 101
$5.95 R 99.5
1.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 R 22.75
$1.35 R 22.57
0.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 R 27.68
$1.70 R 28.45
-2.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Somerset West
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 28.52
$1.61 R 27.02
5.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 R 1,190
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.15 R 19.18
$1.43 R 23.90
-19.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 15.01
$1.01 R 16.85
-10.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.01 R 67.1
$4.42 R 73.9
-9.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.28 R 21.40
$1.19 R 19.87
7.56%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.5K R 376.0K
$19.3K R 323.3K
16.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 397.3K
$22.8K R 382.3K
3.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Somerset West
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 R 1,973
$69.0 R 1,155
70.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.87 R 684
$30.04 R 503
36.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.16 R 723
$41.26 R 691
4.60%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Somerset West
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.37 R 575
$38.81 R 650
-11.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.89 R 233
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.29 R 122
$6.64 R 111
9.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Somerset West
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$208 R 3,489
$209 R 3,499
-0.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,878 R 81.7K
$3,368 R 56.4K
44.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Somerset West
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.0 R 853
$32.17 R 539
58.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.10 R 571
$27.06 R 453
26.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.7 R 1,501
$66.2 R 1,109
35.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.9 R 1,338
$63.2 R 1,058
26.36%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Somerset West
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$415 R 6,946
$617 R 10.3K
-32.80%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,206
$388 R 6,493
-4.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$908 R 15.2K
$1,218 R 20.4K
-25.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$698 R 11.7K
$868 R 14.5K
-19.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,061 R 17.8K
$1,243 R 20.8K
-14.62%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$770 R 12.9K
$934 R 15.6K
-17.54%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Somerset West
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,669 R 27.9K
$2,075 R 34.7K
-19.57%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
10.5
9.62%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

Last update for Somerset West: February 28, 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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