Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and St Francis Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $979 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,406 per month in Johannesburg vs $979 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,406
St Francis Bay $979

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,629 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
St Francis Bay $1,629

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,279 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,983
St Francis Bay $2,279

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 R 195

$10.81 R 177

9.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.83 R 736

$41.74 R 685

7.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 R 121

$3.53 R 58.0

109.63%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.15

$2.14 R 35.06

14.49%

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

$1.23 R 20.13

$1.01 R 16.62

21.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.14

$0.72 R 11.89

27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.23

$2.06 R 33.72

18.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 44.94

$1.84 R 30.24

48.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.53

$0.94 R 15.43

39.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.65

$1.00 R 16.33

26.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.24

$1.50 R 24.64

14.67%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.19

$2.70 R 44.32

-2.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 R 146

$7.11 R 117

24.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.1

$5.22 R 85.7

8.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.04 R 148

$8.63 R 142

4.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.04

$2.18 R 35.71

-5.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.28

$1.46 R 23.93

30.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.95

$1.70 R 27.96

7.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 R 33.63

$1.81 R 29.62

13.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 27.93

$1.74 R 28.48

-2.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.62

$1.37 R 22.56

32.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 R 24.73

$1.24 R 20.29

21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.60

$1.03 R 16.84

22.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 R 57.5

$3.14 R 51.5

11.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.07 R 99.6

$4.74 R 77.7

28.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 R 29.57

$1.27 R 20.84

41.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 37.85

$1.81 R 29.72

27.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.62 R 26.62

$1.78 R 29.16

-8.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.49

$0.82 R 13.44

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.04

$0.46 R 7.51

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.30 R 235

$8.62 R 141

65.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 24.89

$1.31 R 21.44

16.03%

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

$35.4K R 580.8K

$21.0K R 344.6K

68.55%

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

$34.7K R 570.0K

$35.2K R 577.0K

-1.21%

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

$228 R 3,738

$60.8 R 997

275.00%

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

$38.51 R 632

$34.39 R 564

11.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.02 R 624

$41.35 R 679

-8.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.33 R 580

$28.64 R 470

23.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.47 R 270

$12.00 R 197

37.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 R 139

$9.20 R 151

-7.93%

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

$247 R 4,052

$179 R 2,934

38.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,727 R 126.8K

$6,135 R 100.7K

25.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R 954

$71.9 R 1,179

-19.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.29 R 727

$39.31 R 645

12.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,848

$112 R 1,842

0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,821

$95.1 R 1,560

16.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,624

$420 R 6,891

25.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,682

$308 R 5,056

32.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 R 17.9K

$834 R 13.7K

30.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$900 R 14.8K

$711 R 11.7K

26.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,029 R 16.9K

$784 R 12.9K

31.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$748 R 12.3K

$648 R 10.6K

15.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.94

-8.63%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Last update for St Francis Bay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$407 29%

St Francis Bay

$308 31.5% 24.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.6%

St Francis Bay

$136 14% 55.2% $168

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$220 15.7%

St Francis Bay

$190 19.4% 13.9% $31

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$173 12.3%

St Francis Bay

$144 14.7% 17% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

St Francis Bay

$143 14.7% 2.3% $3.4

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.3%

St Francis Bay

$10 * 1% 90% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

St Francis Bay

$47 4.8% 10% $5.2

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 $420 in St Francis Bay. 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 $42 in St Francis Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $190 – making St Francis Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

5,910

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Johannesburg St Francis Bay 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 44% more than St Francis Bay, 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 $1,468 in St Francis Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St Francis Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,406 in Johannesburg and $979 in St Francis Bay. That makes St Francis Bay about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Johannesburg and $179 in St Francis Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in St Francis Bay, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Johannesburg at $1,406. In St Francis Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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