Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Somerset West

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,201 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,201

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Somerset West

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

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,201 in Somerset West, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
Somerset West $1,201

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,916 in Somerset West, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Somerset West $1,916

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,630 in Somerset West, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,983
Somerset West $2,630

Johannesburg costs about 17% more than Somerset West, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Somerset West is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 195

$11.36 R 186

4.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 735

$41.69 R 683

7.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 121

$5.32 R 87.2

39.10%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.10

$2.10 R 34.35

16.67%

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

$1.23 R 20.11

$1.02 R 16.69

20.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.13

$0.89 R 14.67

3.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.18

$2.65 R 43.37

-7.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 44.89

$3.63 R 59.5

-24.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.51

$0.95 R 15.51

37.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.62

$0.96 R 15.76

31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.21

$1.94 R 31.78

-11.34%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.14

$2.35 R 38.54

11.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 145

$8.48 R 139

4.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.0

$5.51 R 90.2

3.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 148

$8.82 R 144

2.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.00

$1.82 R 29.84

13.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.24

$1.96 R 32.15

-2.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.91

$1.57 R 25.69

16.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.59

$1.72 R 28.21

19.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 27.90

$1.50 R 24.51

13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.59

$1.47 R 24.10

23.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 24.70

$1.30 R 21.28

16.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.58

$1.05 R 17.17

20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.4

$3.49 R 57.1

0.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 99.5

$6.04 R 98.9

0.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.53

$1.39 R 22.73

29.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 37.80

$1.69 R 27.67

36.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.59

$2.05 R 33.60

-20.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,486

$61.1 R 1,001

48.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.48

$0.92 R 15.14

-10.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.02

$0.86 R 14.08

6.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 234

$5.09 R 83.4

180.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 24.86

$1.44 R 23.54

5.56%

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

$35.4K R 580.1K

$28.5K R 466.8K

24.28%

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

$34.7K R 569.3K

$28.8K R 471.3K

20.78%

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

$228 R 3,733

$87.5 R 1,434

160.35%

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

$38.51 R 631

$26.28 R 431

46.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 623

$40.44 R 663

-5.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 579

$45.25 R 742

-21.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 270

$8.50 R 139

93.76%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 139

$7.09 R 116

19.46%

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

$247 R 4,047

$267 R 4,377

-7.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 126.6K

$4,148 R 68.0K

86.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 953

$47.75 R 782

21.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 726

$31.71 R 520

39.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,846

$103 R 1,681

9.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,819

$58.6 R 960

89.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,614

$651 R 10.7K

-19.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,674

$446 R 7,305

-8.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 17.9K

$1,366 R 22.4K

-20.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.7K

$931 R 15.3K

-3.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 16.9K

$1,390 R 22.8K

-25.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.3K

$1,092 R 17.9K

-31.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.7K

$1,462 R 24.0K

19.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.06

8.45%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for Somerset West: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

Somerset West

$446 37.1% 9.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

Somerset West

$154 12.8% 49.3% $150

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

Somerset West

$199 16.6% 9.6% $21

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

Somerset West

$160 13.3% 7.4% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Somerset West

$108 9% 26.2% $38

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

Somerset West

$75 6.2% 27.4% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Somerset West

$59 5% 13.7% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Johannesburg versus $651 in Somerset West. 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 20% higher in Johannesburg. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Johannesburg versus $42 in Somerset West. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $199 – making Somerset West the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

55,166

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.45 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Johannesburg Somerset West 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
Somerset West

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 Somerset West: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 17% more than Somerset West, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,802 in Somerset West. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Johannesburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $526 there versus $651 in Somerset West.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Johannesburg and $42 in Somerset West. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,201 in Somerset West. That makes Somerset West about 15% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,406 in Johannesburg and $1,201 in Somerset West, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

If budget matters most, go with Somerset West. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.