Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Springs

For one person, living is cheaper in Springs: $979 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Springs
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Springs Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Springs

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Springs

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

A single person spends $1,410 per month in Johannesburg vs $979 in Springs, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,410
Springs $979

A couple spends around $2,182 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,582 in Springs, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,182
Springs $1,582

A family of three spends $2,954 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,184 in Springs, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,954
Springs $2,184

Johannesburg costs about 44% more than Springs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Springs is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.92 R 198

$9.15 R 152

30.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.33 R 736

$35.40 R 588

25.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 123

$5.18 R 86.0

43.24%

Cappuccino

$2.39 R 39.68

$2.19 R 36.44

9.13%

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

$1.21 R 20.15

$0.96 R 15.89

26.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.89

$0.67 R 11.05

43.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.24

$1.85 R 30.78

30.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 R 44.27

$2.13 R 35.43

25.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 R 21.49

$1.16 R 19.26

11.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.83

$1.05 R 17.50

13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.32

$1.77 R 29.45

-3.95%

Eggs

$2.75 R 45.69

$2.41 R 39.97

14.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 144

$8.43 R 140

2.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 R 92.4

$5.00 R 83.0

11.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 R 148

$7.25 R 120

23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.53

$1.28 R 21.29

62.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.09

$1.08 R 17.94

67.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.77

$1.71 R 28.40

1.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.90

$1.20 R 19.87

75.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.30

$1.06 R 17.60

60.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.65

$1.17 R 19.37

52.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.75

$1.21 R 20.18

23.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.50

$0.74 R 12.26

66.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 R 57.9

$3.12 R 51.8

11.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 R 101

$4.03 R 66.9

51.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 R 30.95

$1.12 R 18.58

66.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 R 39.85

$1.71 R 28.39

40.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,479

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.50

$0.29 R 4.80

179.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.42

$0.80 R 13.37

8.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.32 R 238

$14.37 R 239

-0.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.39

$1.48 R 24.56

3.38%

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

$35.5K R 589.1K

$35.6K R 591.4K

-0.40%

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

$34.0K R 565.0K

$32.7K R 543.5K

3.96%

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

$224 R 3,715

$148 R 2,460

51.01%

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

$39.12 R 650

$37.52 R 623

4.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.93 R 613

$35.28 R 586

4.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 R 590

$39.37 R 654

-9.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 R 290

Cinema Ticket

$8.29 R 138

$7.31 R 121

13.41%

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

$240 R 3,984

$89.2 R 1,481

169.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,471 R 90.9K

$1,794 R 29.8K

205.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 R 963

$54.1 R 898

7.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.96 R 747

$31.78 R 528

41.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,849

$91.6 R 1,521

21.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 R 1,869

$82.0 R 1,363

37.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,742

$284 R 4,721

85.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 R 6,968

$275 R 4,571

52.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$712 R 11.8K

54.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 R 14.7K

$694 R 11.5K

27.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,035 R 17.2K

$1,481 R 24.6K

-30.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$734 R 12.2K

$692 R 11.5K

6.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.4K

$1,145 R 19.0K

49.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.75

1.49%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Springs: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$419 29.8%

Springs

$275 28.1% 34.4% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$300 21.3%

Springs

$221 22.6% 26.3% $79

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.5%

Springs

$173 17.7% 20.6% $45

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$172 12.2%

Springs

$135 13.8% 21.6% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Springs

$117 11.9% 20.6% $30

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$101 7.2%

Springs

$4.3 * 0.4% 95.7% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Springs

$54 5.5% 3.7% $1.9

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 $284 in Springs. 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 49% higher in Johannesburg. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Johannesburg versus $35 in Springs. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $173 – making Springs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Springs

🕒 Local time

08:51 8:51 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

2,996

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 Springs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 44% more than Springs, 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 $2,115 per month in Johannesburg and $1,469 in Springs. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Springs, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $284 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,410 in Johannesburg and $979 in Springs. That makes Springs about 31% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Johannesburg and $89 in Springs. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Springs – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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