Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Upington Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Upington

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 32% more expensive than Upington without rent, and 14.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 29.6% more expensive than Upington without rent, and 12.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Upington
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.4 R 203
$11.38 R 202
0.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.89 R 798
$33.57 R 597
33.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.98 R 88.7
$4.9 R 87.1
1.63%
Cappuccino
$2.18 R 38.8
$1.62 R 28.84
34.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 18.45
$1.04 R 18.44
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.39
$0.66 R 11.79
13.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.7 R 48.05
$1.6 R 28.42
68.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 45.29
$2.46 R 43.68
3.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Upington
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.2 R 21.39
$0.86 R 15.29
39.53%
White Bread (500g)
$1.1 R 19.5
$1.1 R 19.63
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 R 30.51
$1.57 R 27.86
9.55%
Eggs
$2.47 R 43.92
$2.38 R 42.41
3.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.04 R 143
$7.88 R 140
2.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.91 R 87.4
$4.51 R 80.2
8.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.75 R 120
$6.9 R 123
-2.17%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 R 30.11
$1.65 R 29.38
2.42%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 R 27.16
$1.47 R 26.15
4.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.22
$1.55 R 27.49
-5.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.14
$1.57 R 27.95
0.64%
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 R 25.8
$1.37 R 24.4
5.84%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 R 24.78
$1.22 R 21.76
13.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 R 18.64
$1.08 R 19.23
-2.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 R 16.87
$0.92 R 16.29
3.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 R 54.1
$2.56 R 45.58
18.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.99 R 107
$3.74 R 66.6
60.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.38 R 24.49
-5.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 R 29.74
$1.64 R 29.15
1.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Upington
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.7 R 30.26
$1.62 R 28.86
4.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 R 1,265
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.48
$1.13 R 20.14
-2.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 R 16.73
$0.95 R 16.89
-1.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.1 R 72.9
$3.92 R 69.7
4.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R 21.58
$1.29 R 22.87
-6.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K R 396.4K
$21.6K R 383.9K
3.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K R 433.4K
$24.2K R 430.5K
0.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Upington
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 R 2,069
$119 R 2,116
-2.24%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.29 R 717
$35.69 R 635
12.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.05 R 748
$41.92 R 746
0.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Upington
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.62 R 616
$31.38 R 558
10.33%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.93 R 248
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.23 R 129
$6.89 R 123
4.93%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Upington
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$206 R 3,665
$199 R 3,544
3.43%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,981 R 88.6K
$4,338 R 77.2K
14.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Upington
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.6 R 899
$51.2 R 911
-1.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.58 R 597
$31.96 R 568
5.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.2 R 1,621
$88.6 R 1,575
2.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 R 1,397
$79.4 R 1,412
-1.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Upington
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$423 R 7,519
$369 R 6,555
14.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,592
$339 R 6,037
9.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$901 R 16K
$568 R 10.1K
58.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$692 R 12.3K
$702 R 12.5K
-1.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,111 R 19.8K
$690 R 12.3K
61.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$748 R 13.3K
$657 R 11.7K
13.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Upington
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,585 R 28.2K
$763 R 13.6K
107.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
11.38
1.14%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 27, 2025

Last update for Upington: October 27, 2025

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