Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,111 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Upington

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

A single person spends $1,410 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,111 in Upington, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,410
Upington $1,111

A couple spends around $2,182 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,731 in Upington, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,182
Upington $1,731

A family of three spends $2,954 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,350 in Upington, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,954
Upington $2,350

Johannesburg costs about 27% more than Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Upington is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.92 R 198

$12.13 R 202

-1.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.33 R 736

$35.62 R 592

24.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 123

$5.83 R 96.8

27.27%

Cappuccino

$2.39 R 39.68

$1.75 R 29.08

36.57%

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

$1.21 R 20.15

$1.02 R 17.00

18.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.89

$0.77 R 12.83

24.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.24

$1.70 R 28.29

42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 R 44.27

$2.76 R 45.81

-3.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 R 21.49

$0.93 R 15.40

38.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.83

$1.22 R 20.21

-2.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.32

$1.61 R 26.75

5.59%

Eggs

$2.75 R 45.69

$2.22 R 36.84

23.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 144

$8.31 R 138

4.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 R 92.4

$5.40 R 89.6

2.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 R 148

$8.17 R 136

9.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.53

$2.06 R 34.16

0.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.09

$1.49 R 24.68

21.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.77

$1.64 R 27.28

5.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.90

$1.76 R 29.21

19.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.30

$1.34 R 22.26

26.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.65

$1.39 R 23.04

28.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.75

$1.11 R 18.37

34.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.50

$1.22 R 20.27

0.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 R 57.9

$2.76 R 45.86

26.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 R 101

$3.73 R 61.9

63.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 R 30.95

$1.54 R 25.59

20.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 R 39.85

$2.09 R 34.66

14.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.64

$1.46 R 24.23

21.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,479

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.50

$0.64 R 10.60

26.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.42

$0.79 R 13.12

10.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.32 R 238

$11.30 R 188

26.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.39

$1.45 R 24.12

5.52%

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

$35.5K R 589.1K

$40.3K R 669.6K

-12.02%

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

$34.0K R 565.0K

$34.8K R 577.5K

-2.17%

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

$224 R 3,715

$148 R 2,464

50.74%

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

$39.12 R 650

$39.28 R 653

-0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.93 R 613

$37.62 R 625

-1.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 R 590

$28.10 R 467

26.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 R 290

$11.70 R 194

48.97%

Cinema Ticket

$8.29 R 138

$8.00 R 133

3.62%

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

$240 R 3,984

$103 R 1,704

133.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,471 R 90.9K

$5,540 R 92.0K

-1.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 R 963

$55.8 R 926

4.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.96 R 747

$32.07 R 533

40.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,849

$104 R 1,731

6.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 R 1,869

$84.3 R 1,401

33.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,742

$389 R 6,454

35.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 R 6,968

$358 R 5,939

17.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$613 R 10.2K

79.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 R 14.7K

$736 R 12.2K

20.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,035 R 17.2K

$917 R 15.2K

12.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$734 R 12.2K

$739 R 12.3K

-0.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.4K

$781 R 13.0K

118.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.38

-4.13%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Upington: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$419 29.8%

Upington

$358 32.2% 14.8% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$300 21.3%

Upington

$225 20.3% 24.8% $74

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.5%

Upington

$193 17.4% 11.4% $25

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$172 12.2%

Upington

$157 14.1% 9.1% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Upington

$124 11.2% 15.4% $23

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$101 7.2%

Upington

$10 * 0.9% 89.7% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Upington

$44 4% 15.3% $8

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 $389 in Upington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Johannesburg are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Johannesburg versus $36 in Upington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $193 – making Upington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

74,834

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Johannesburg Upington 720 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 Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 27% more than Upington, 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 $2,115 per month in Johannesburg and $1,667 in Upington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,410 in Johannesburg and $1,111 in Upington. That makes Upington about 21% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Johannesburg and $103 in Upington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,410 in Johannesburg and $1,111 in Upington. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Upington. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.