Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Uitenhage

For one person, living is cheaper in Uitenhage: $1,167 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Uitenhage
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Uitenhage Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Uitenhage

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Uitenhage

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,167 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,428
Uitenhage $1,167

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,832 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,226
Uitenhage $1,832

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,497 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Johannesburg $3,023
Uitenhage $2,497

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

Johannesburg sits 5% above the global median, while Uitenhage is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$10.99 R 181

12.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$43.28 R 713

6.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$5.88 R 96.9

26.19%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.17 R 35.83

12.90%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$1.06 R 17.38

20.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.73 R 12.00

26.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$2.68 R 44.15

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$3.25 R 53.5

-13.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.17 R 19.29

17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$0.81 R 13.36

55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.52 R 25.02

13.16%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$2.84 R 46.76

-2.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.91 R 147

0.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$5.35 R 88.2

7.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$8.73 R 144

5.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$2.20 R 36.29

-3.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$1.51 R 24.85

23.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.69 R 27.80

8.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$1.82 R 29.92

13.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.77 R 29.08

-5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.45 R 23.94

23.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$1.30 R 21.50

13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$1.02 R 16.84

28.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$3.12 R 51.4

13.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$3.68 R 60.6

61.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.28 R 21.16

44.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$1.82 R 29.97

28.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

$1.51 R 24.95

36.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.60 R 9.82

46.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.51 R 8.41

70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$8.68 R 143

70.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.49 R 24.50

2.68%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$35.6K R 587.1K

0.26%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$35.0K R 577.1K

0.60%

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

$227 R 3,743

$125 R 2,066

81.18%

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

$39.37 R 649

$35.55 R 586

10.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$45.37 R 747

-17.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$30.09 R 496

25.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

$12.05 R 199

42.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$10.55 R 174

-20.09%

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

$248 R 4,089

$179 R 2,955

38.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$6,248 R 102.9K

-12.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$72.6 R 1,196

-17.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$38.39 R 632

17.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$114 R 1,873

-1.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$96.2 R 1,584

16.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$443 R 7,304

17.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$401 R 6,606

3.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$646 R 10.6K

65.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$798 R 13.1K

13.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

$897 R 14.8K

15.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$740 R 12.2K

3.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

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 18, 2026

Last update for Uitenhage: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Uitenhage

$401 34.4% 3.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Uitenhage

$206 17.7% 32.2% $98

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Uitenhage

$196 16.8% 12.1% $27

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Uitenhage

$159 13.6% 10.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Uitenhage

$144 12.4% 2.6% $3.9

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Uitenhage

$9.2 * 0.8% 91.2% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Uitenhage

$51 4.4% 6.4% $3.5

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 $443 in Uitenhage. 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 $46.00 in Johannesburg versus $43.00 in Uitenhage. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $196 – making Uitenhage the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Uitenhage

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

103,639

💱 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

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Johannesburg Uitenhage 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Uitenhage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 22% more than Uitenhage, 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 $1,750 in Uitenhage. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uitenhage, 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 $1,167 in Uitenhage. That's a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $248 per month in Johannesburg and $179 in Uitenhage. 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 Uitenhage, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Uitenhage it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Uitenhage costs $1,167 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 Uitenhage. 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.