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

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 27.6% more expensive than Upington without rent, and 15.6% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 32.5% more expensive than Upington without rent, and 11.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.08 R 185

$11.21 R 188

-1.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.69 R 765

$33.65 R 563

35.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 R 82.8

$4.85 R 81.1

2.06%

Cappuccino

$2.23 R 37.33

$1.63 R 27.30

36.81%

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

$1.00 R 16.71

$0.98 R 16.48

2.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R 13.47

$0.66 R 11.07

21.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 R 44.16

$1.60 R 26.84

65.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 41.09

$2.53 R 42.42

-3.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 20.16

$0.82 R 13.68

46.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 R 17.52

$1.09 R 18.20

-3.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.33

$1.56 R 26.12

4.49%

Eggs

$2.56 R 42.85

$2.46 R 41.12

4.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 R 142

$7.74 R 130

9.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 R 80.5

$4.60 R 77.0

4.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 R 112

$6.88 R 115

-2.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R 27.17

$1.62 R 27.11

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.39

$1.54 R 25.79

-5.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.68

$1.47 R 24.62

4.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.85

$1.66 R 27.72

-3.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.94

$1.32 R 22.05

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.52

$1.18 R 19.81

18.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 18.10

$1.05 R 17.54

2.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.98

$0.93 R 15.49

-4.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 52.6

$2.56 R 42.81

22.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$3.88 R 65.0

56.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.75

$1.37 R 22.94

-0.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 R 27.68

$1.63 R 27.36

1.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 R 28.52

$1.62 R 27.18

4.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.1 R 1,190

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 R 19.18

$1.10 R 18.50

4.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 15.01

$0.93 R 15.59

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 R 67.1

$3.99 R 66.8

0.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R 21.40

$1.27 R 21.26

0.79%

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

$22.5K R 376.0K

$21.0K R 351.7K

6.90%

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

$23.7K R 397.3K

$23.4K R 392.3K

1.29%

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

$118 R 1,973

$121 R 2,018

-2.22%

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

$40.87 R 684

$35.75 R 598

14.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.16 R 723

$41.55 R 696

3.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.37 R 575

$31.38 R 525

9.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.89 R 233

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 122

$6.86 R 115

6.27%

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

$208 R 3,489

$201 R 3,360

3.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,878 R 81.7K

$4,373 R 73.2K

11.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 R 853

$50.7 R 849

0.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 R 571

$32.25 R 540

5.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 R 1,501

$88.1 R 1,475

1.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 R 1,338

$78.8 R 1,319

1.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 R 6,946

$362 R 6,055

14.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,206

$336 R 5,632

10.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 R 15.2K

$565 R 9,466

60.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 R 11.7K

$679 R 11.4K

2.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,061 R 17.8K

$740 R 12.4K

43.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$770 R 12.9K

$621 R 10.4K

23.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,669 R 27.9K

$811 R 13.6K

105.90%

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: February 28, 2026

Last update for Upington: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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