Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kimberley and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Kimberley: $1,128 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Kimberley
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Kimberley Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Kimberley

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,128

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kimberley and in Johannesburg

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kimberley and in Johannesburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,128 per month in Kimberley vs $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Kimberley $1,128
Johannesburg $1,430

A couple spends around $1,905 per month in Kimberley vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Kimberley $1,905
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Kimberley vs $2,960 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Kimberley $2,683
Johannesburg $2,960

Kimberley is about 21% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Kimberley sits 16% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.22 R 201

$11.98 R 197

2.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.40 R 600

$43.02 R 709

-15.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 R 97.3

$7.12 R 117

-16.99%

Cappuccino

$3.02 R 49.76

$2.41 R 39.72

25.31%

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

$1.32 R 21.67

$1.17 R 19.21

12.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.96

$0.93 R 15.30

36.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.78 R 45.76

$2.25 R 37.03

23.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.40

$2.76 R 45.49

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.08

$1.31 R 21.59

16.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 R 19.09

$1.28 R 21.12

-9.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 R 49.58

$1.72 R 28.37

75.00%

Eggs

$2.88 R 47.44

$2.63 R 43.34

9.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.60 R 109

$8.47 R 140

-22.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.84 R 96.2

$5.47 R 90.0

6.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.62 R 142

$8.80 R 145

-2.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 R 36.86

$2.12 R 34.89

5.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 R 40.59

$1.79 R 29.45

37.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.02

$1.85 R 30.47

-4.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 R 54.9

$2.12 R 34.99

57.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.20

$1.74 R 28.61

-15.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.42

$1.83 R 30.09

-22.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R 22.03

$1.43 R 23.53

-6.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.25

$1.33 R 21.99

-35.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.09 R 50.9

$3.30 R 54.3

-6.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.51 R 107

$5.91 R 97.3

10.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.21 R 36.48

$1.81 R 29.89

22.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 R 45.98

$2.49 R 40.95

12.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 R 24.97

$2.01 R 33.11

-24.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.35 R 549

$89.9 R 1,481

-62.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.57

$0.83 R 13.62

-30.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.57

$0.89 R 14.70

-1.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.59 R 191

$14.42 R 238

-19.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.88

$1.49 R 24.51

-6.71%

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

$35.2K R 579.7K

$35.2K R 579.4K

0.05%

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

$31.7K R 522.0K

$32.5K R 534.9K

-2.42%

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

$105 R 1,734

$233 R 3,841

-54.86%

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

$34.81 R 573

$37.52 R 618

-7.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.50 R 700

$36.32 R 598

17.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.96 R 378

$36.44 R 600

-36.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 R 179

$17.23 R 284

-36.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.27 R 120

$7.66 R 126

-5.09%

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

$242 R 3,985

$246 R 4,048

-1.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,516 R 90.9K

$5,533 R 91.2K

-0.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 R 871

$58.4 R 963

-9.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.01 R 544

$45.21 R 745

-26.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 R 1,626

$110 R 1,817

-10.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.3 R 1,438

$105 R 1,734

-17.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$266 R 4,378

$493 R 8,127

-46.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 R 5,472

$435 R 7,160

-23.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R 10.5K

$985 R 16.2K

-35.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$940 R 15.5K

$896 R 14.8K

4.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$888 R 14.6K

$967 R 15.9K

-8.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$649 R 10.7K

$746 R 12.3K

-13.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$935 R 15.4K

$1,738 R 28.6K

-46.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.91

0.27%

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

Last update for Kimberley: October 11, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kimberley

$332 29.5%

Johannesburg

$435 30.4% 30.8% $102

Groceries & Markets

Kimberley

$228 20.2%

Johannesburg

$218 15.3% 4.1% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kimberley

$183 16.2%

Johannesburg

$307 21.5% 68.1% $124

Eating Out

Kimberley

$181 16.1%

Johannesburg

$171 12% 5.6% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Kimberley

$122 10.9%

Johannesburg

$144 10.1% 17.4% $21

Getting Around

Kimberley

$44 3.9%

Johannesburg

$103 7.2% 132% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Kimberley

$38 3.3%

Johannesburg

$52 3.6% 38% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $266 in Kimberley versus $493 in Johannesburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 86% higher in Johannesburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Kimberley versus $43.00 in Johannesburg. Groceries tell a different story – $228 in Kimberley vs $218 in Johannesburg – so Johannesburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Kimberley

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

11:16 11:16 AM

Same time as Kimberley

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

225,160

4,434,827

💱 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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Kimberley Johannesburg 430 km

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Kimberley
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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

Kimberley vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 27% more than Kimberley, 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 $1,692 per month in Kimberley and $2,145 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kimberley, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Kimberley and $43.00 in Johannesburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,128 in Kimberley and $1,430 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kimberley, where all-in costs run around $1,128, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Kimberley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kimberley costs $1,128 versus $1,430 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 Kimberley. 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.