Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Stellenbosch

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,174 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Stellenbosch

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,174 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,428
Stellenbosch $1,174

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,947 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,226
Stellenbosch $1,947

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,721 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Johannesburg $3,023
Stellenbosch $2,721

Johannesburg costs about 22% more than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 5% above the global median, while Stellenbosch is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$7.50 R 124

64.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$36.96 R 609

24.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$4.97 R 81.9

49.30%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.13 R 35.16

15.02%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$1.00 R 16.45

28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.73 R 12.06

26.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$2.66 R 43.84

-11.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$3.17 R 52.2

-11.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.35 R 22.30

1.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$1.15 R 19.00

9.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.80 R 29.63

-4.44%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$2.85 R 47.01

-3.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.75 R 144

2.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$5.94 R 97.9

-3.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$7.50 R 124

22.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$1.75 R 28.90

21.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$1.48 R 24.42

26.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.73 R 28.56

5.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$1.54 R 25.45

33.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.08 R 17.86

55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.56 R 25.77

14.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$1.36 R 22.37

8.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$1.19 R 19.54

10.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.75 R 61.8

-5.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$6.13 R 101

-3.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.35 R 22.30

37.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$2.16 R 35.56

7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.60 R 9.87

46.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$1.49 R 24.55

-41.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$5.12 R 84.4

188.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.38 R 22.79

10.87%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$35.5K R 585.4K

0.55%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$34.0K R 560.3K

3.61%

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

$227 R 3,743

$103 R 1,701

120.05%

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

$39.37 R 649

$29.34 R 483

34.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$34.40 R 567

9.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$29.41 R 485

28.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

$17.07 R 281

0.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$8.74 R 144

-3.55%

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

$248 R 4,089

$266 R 4,381

-6.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$2,413 R 39.8K

127.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$52.4 R 864

14.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$28.86 R 476

56.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$120 R 1,982

-6.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$89.6 R 1,476

25.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$677 R 11.2K

-23.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$490 R 8,078

-15.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$1,475 R 24.3K

-27.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$1,196 R 19.7K

-24.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

$2,583 R 42.6K

-33.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.7

1.96%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Stellenbosch

$490 41.8% 17.7% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Stellenbosch

$167 14.2% 45.1% $137

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Stellenbosch

$204 17.4% 8.5% $19

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Stellenbosch

$127 10.8% 28.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Stellenbosch

$131 11.2% 11.6% $17

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Stellenbosch

$8.1 * 0.7% 92.3% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 14.3% $7.8

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 $677 in Stellenbosch. 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 51% higher in Stellenbosch, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Johannesburg versus $37.00 in Stellenbosch. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $204 – making Stellenbosch the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

19,068

💱 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

On the map

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Between locations

Johannesburg Stellenbosch 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
Stellenbosch

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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 22% more than Stellenbosch, 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 $1,761 in Stellenbosch. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stellenbosch, 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 $1,174 in Stellenbosch. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $248 per month in Johannesburg and $266 in Stellenbosch. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Stellenbosch, where all-in costs run around $1,174, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Stellenbosch it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Stellenbosch costs $1,174 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 Stellenbosch. 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.