Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Margate, South Africa and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Margate: $883 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Margate

🇿🇦 South Africa

$883

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Margate 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 Margate and in Johannesburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $883 per month in Margate vs $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Margate $883
Johannesburg $1,406

A couple spends around $1,419 per month in Margate vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Margate $1,419
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $1,956 per month in Margate vs $2,983 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Margate $1,956
Johannesburg $2,983

Margate is about 37% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Margate sits 35% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.41 R 138

$11.88 R 196

-29.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.18 R 595

$44.83 R 738

-19.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$7.40 R 122

-16.89%

Cappuccino

$1.86 R 30.60

$2.45 R 40.26

-24.08%

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

$1.03 R 16.96

$1.23 R 20.19

-16.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.54

$0.92 R 15.18

-10.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.14

$2.45 R 40.34

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 37.94

$2.74 R 45.06

-15.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R 16.23

$1.31 R 21.59

-24.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 R 14.66

$1.26 R 20.70

-29.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.56

$1.72 R 28.32

-37.79%

Eggs

$2.30 R 37.85

$2.63 R 43.31

-12.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.27 R 86.7

$8.87 R 146

-40.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 R 57.4

$5.68 R 93.4

-38.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.81 R 95.6

$9.04 R 149

-35.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 R 19.65

$2.07 R 34.13

-42.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 R 19.33

$1.91 R 31.36

-38.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.56

$1.83 R 30.03

-41.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 R 22.78

$2.05 R 33.72

-32.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 R 16.79

$1.70 R 28.01

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R 20.77

$1.81 R 29.70

-30.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 R 18.72

$1.51 R 24.79

-24.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.98

$1.26 R 20.66

-23.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.62 R 26.65

$3.50 R 57.6

-53.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.62 R 59.5

$6.07 R 99.9

-40.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 R 24.49

$1.80 R 29.64

-17.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.18

$2.31 R 37.95

-15.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 R 27.21

$1.62 R 26.69

1.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,492

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.64

$0.82 R 13.53

-51.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.40

$0.92 R 15.08

-18.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.80 R 128

$14.30 R 235

-45.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.08

$1.52 R 24.95

-11.84%

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

$35.3K R 580.1K

$35.4K R 582.4K

-0.38%

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

$34.1K R 560.5K

$34.7K R 571.5K

-1.92%

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

$61.0 R 1,004

$228 R 3,748

-73.21%

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

$18.22 R 300

$38.51 R 634

-52.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.75 R 539

$38.02 R 625

-13.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.51 R 518

$35.33 R 581

-10.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.19 R 184

$16.47 R 271

-32.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.28 R 70.4

$8.47 R 139

-49.47%

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

$316 R 5,202

$247 R 4,063

28.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,369 R 121.2K

$7,727 R 127.1K

-4.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 874

$58.1 R 956

-8.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.09 R 298

$44.29 R 729

-59.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 R 1,184

$113 R 1,853

-36.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.72 R 801

$111 R 1,826

-56.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 R 6,393

$526 R 8,647

-26.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 R 5,821

$407 R 6,700

-13.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.8K

$1,091 R 18.0K

-34.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$731 R 12.0K

$900 R 14.8K

-18.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$772 R 12.7K

$1,029 R 16.9K

-25.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$671 R 11.0K

$748 R 12.3K

-10.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,479 R 24.3K

$1,750 R 28.8K

-15.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

10.91

7.24%

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

Last update for Margate: November 1, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Margate

$354 40.1%

Johannesburg

$407 29% 15.1% $53

Groceries & Markets

Margate

$148 16.7%

Johannesburg

$220 15.7% 49.2% $73

Eating Out

Margate

$132 15%

Johannesburg

$173 12.3% 30.8% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Margate

$112 12.7%

Johannesburg

$304 21.6% 172% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Margate

$86 9.8%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 69.9% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Margate

$40 4.5%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 30.5% $12

Getting Around

Margate

$11 * 1.2%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 851% $92

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $389 in Margate versus $526 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 18% 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 in Margate versus $45 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $148 vs $220 – making Margate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Margate

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

07:31 7:31 AM

Same time as Margate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,407

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Margate Johannesburg 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Margate
Johannesburg

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

Margate vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 59% more than Margate, 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 $1,324 per month in Margate and $2,110 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $883 in Margate and $1,406 in Johannesburg. That makes Margate about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $316 per month in Margate and $247 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $883 in Margate and $1,406 in Johannesburg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $883 in Margate to $1,406 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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