Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Johannesburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Johannesburg

🙂 Solo nomad: Polokwane is 30.1% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 29.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Polokwane is 14.2% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 28.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Polokwane
Johannesburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.72 R 173
$11.4 R 203
-14.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.89 R 745
$44.89 R 798
-6.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.89 R 86.9
$4.98 R 88.7
-1.81%
Cappuccino
$2.25 R 40.08
$2.18 R 38.8
3.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 R 15.2
$1.04 R 18.45
-18.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 R 13.22
$0.75 R 13.39
-1.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.66 R 29.52
$2.7 R 48.05
-38.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 R 35.14
$2.55 R 45.29
-22.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Polokwane
Johannesburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 R 21
$1.2 R 21.39
-1.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1 R 17.86
$1.1 R 19.5
-9.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 R 30.68
$1.72 R 30.51
0.58%
Eggs
$2.44 R 43.43
$2.47 R 43.92
-1.21%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.83 R 121
$8.04 R 143
-15.05%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.26 R 58
$4.91 R 87.4
-33.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.56 R 99
$6.75 R 120
-17.63%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 R 30.05
$1.69 R 30.11
-
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.21
$1.53 R 27.16
-3.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 R 27.62
$1.47 R 26.22
5.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 R 28.72
$1.58 R 28.14
1.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.44
$1.45 R 25.8
2.76%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 R 21.04
$1.39 R 24.78
-15.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.33
$1.05 R 18.64
3.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 R 12.92
$0.95 R 16.87
-23.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.73 R 48.59
$3.04 R 54.1
-10.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.53 R 80.6
$5.99 R 107
-24.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 R 19.22
$1.31 R 23.23
-17.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 R 22.36
$1.67 R 29.74
-24.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Polokwane
Johannesburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.18 R 56.5
$1.7 R 30.26
87.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$71.1 R 1,265
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.86 R 15.24
$1.1 R 19.48
-21.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.93 R 16.56
$0.94 R 16.73
-1.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4 R 71.2
$4.1 R 72.9
-2.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R 21.49
$1.21 R 21.58
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$14.2K R 251.9K
$22.3K R 396.4K
-36.45%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K R 404.4K
$24.4K R 433.4K
-6.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Polokwane
Johannesburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 R 2,097
$116 R 2,069
1.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.52 R 721
$40.29 R 717
0.57%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.68 R 670
$42.05 R 748
-10.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Polokwane
Johannesburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.81 R 388
$34.62 R 616
-37.00%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$13.93 R 248
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.35 R 131
$7.23 R 129
1.66%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Polokwane
Johannesburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$169 R 3,011
$206 R 3,665
-17.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,346 R 23.9K
$4,981 R 88.6K
-72.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Polokwane
Johannesburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.11 R 607
$50.6 R 899
-32.52%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.05 R 588
$33.58 R 597
-1.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.8 R 1,330
$91.2 R 1,621
-17.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79 R 1,405
$78.5 R 1,397
0.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Polokwane
Johannesburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$253 R 4,503
$423 R 7,519
-40.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$176 R 3,126
$371 R 6,592
-52.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$373 R 6,639
$901 R 16K
-58.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$281 R 5,000
$692 R 12.3K
-59.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$780 R 13.9K
$1,111 R 19.8K
-29.83%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$692 R 12.3K
$748 R 13.3K
-7.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Polokwane
Johannesburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 26.2K
$1,585 R 28.2K
-6.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
11.51
-

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

Last update for Polokwane: October 27, 2025

Last update for Johannesburg: October 27, 2025

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