Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,056 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,056

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Welkom

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

A single person spends $1,428 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,056 in Welkom, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,428
Welkom $1,056

A couple spends around $2,226 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,603 in Welkom, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,226
Welkom $1,603

A family of three spends $3,023 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,150 in Welkom, rent included.

Johannesburg $3,023
Welkom $2,150

Johannesburg costs about 35% more than Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 5% above the global median, while Welkom is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.35 R 204

$9.27 R 153

33.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.17 R 761

$21.37 R 352

116.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 122

$5.27 R 86.8

40.80%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.29

$2.32 R 38.18

5.60%

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

$1.28 R 21.09

$0.51 R 8.34

150.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.08

$0.58 R 9.61

58.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.87

$1.23 R 20.29

91.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 R 46.43

$1.55 R 25.57

81.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.51

$1.00 R 16.52

37.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.81

$1.01 R 16.68

24.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.37 R 22.56

25.55%

Eggs

$2.76 R 45.42

$1.88 R 30.94

46.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$6.82 R 112

31.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 R 94.5

$4.72 R 77.8

21.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 R 151

$5.01 R 82.5

83.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 35.00

$1.53 R 25.22

38.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.87

$1.67 R 27.58

11.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.72 R 28.41

6.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 R 33.92

$1.21 R 19.92

70.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.63

$1.10 R 18.05

52.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.44

$1.24 R 20.48

44.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 R 24.22

$0.93 R 15.37

58.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 R 21.66

$1.35 R 22.31

-2.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 R 58.2

$2.45 R 40.31

44.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 R 97.7

$2.44 R 40.21

143.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.49

$1.53 R 25.22

20.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 R 38.34

$1.78 R 29.41

30.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

$1.46 R 23.99

41.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.54

$0.31 R 5.17

183.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.81 R 13.39

7.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.78 R 243

$14.69 R 242

0.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.23

$1.57 R 25.84

-2.55%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$35.2K R 579.2K

1.62%

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

$35.2K R 580.5K

$34.6K R 570.3K

1.79%

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

$227 R 3,743

$152 R 2,502

49.58%

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

$39.37 R 649

$37.50 R 618

4.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$37.90 R 624

-0.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 R 624

$32.20 R 531

17.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.16 R 283

$9.68 R 159

77.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 R 139

$7.18 R 118

17.41%

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

$248 R 4,089

$260 R 4,279

-4.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 R 90.5K

$5,614 R 92.5K

-2.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 R 991

$53.6 R 883

12.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.06 R 742

$32.13 R 529

40.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$91.4 R 1,506

22.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,849

$82.4 R 1,357

36.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$519 R 8,550

$392 R 6,457

32.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 R 6,861

$359 R 5,920

15.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,068 R 17.6K

$733 R 12.1K

45.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$743 R 12.2K

21.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,038 R 17.1K

$749 R 12.3K

38.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$763 R 12.6K

$651 R 10.7K

17.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,716 R 28.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.34

-3.79%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$416 29.2%

Welkom

$359 34% 13.7% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$304 21.3%

Welkom

$227 21.5% 25.3% $77

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$223 15.6%

Welkom

$165 15.6% 26.1% $58

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$177 12.4%

Welkom

$131 12.4% 25.6% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$148 10.4%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 21.3% $32

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$105 7.4%

Welkom

$10 * 1% 90.3% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$55 3.8%

Welkom

$47 4.4% 14.9% $8.1

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 $392 in Welkom. 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 $21.00 in Welkom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $165 – making Welkom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

64,130

💱 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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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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 35% more than Welkom, 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 $1,584 in Welkom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Welkom, 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 $1,056 in Welkom. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $248 per month in Johannesburg and $260 in Welkom. 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 Welkom, where all-in costs run around $1,056, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Welkom it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Welkom costs $1,056 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 Welkom. 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.