Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg

🙂 Solo nomad: Port Elizabeth is 6.5% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Port Elizabeth is 5% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 1.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.77 R 145
$11.08 R 183
-20.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.65 R 736
$45.69 R 753
-2.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.38 R 88.7
$4.95 R 81.5
8.69%
Cappuccino
$2.18 R 35.90
$2.23 R 36.75
-2.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 R 18.56
$1.00 R 16.45
13.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.52
$0.80 R 13.26
25.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.48 R 40.84
$2.64 R 43.47
-6.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.90 R 47.81
$2.45 R 40.46
18.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 R 18.25
$1.20 R 19.85
-7.50%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 R 16.95
$1.05 R 17.25
-1.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.48 R 24.41
$1.63 R 26.91
-9.20%
Eggs
$2.43 R 40.07
$2.56 R 42.19
-5.08%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.97 R 131
$8.46 R 139
-5.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.92 R 81.0
$4.81 R 79.3
2.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.45 R 139
$6.68 R 110
26.50%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 R 27.65
$1.62 R 26.74
3.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 R 22.71
$1.46 R 24.01
-5.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 R 25.94
$1.53 R 25.28
2.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 R 26.58
$1.60 R 26.44
0.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.74
$1.43 R 23.57
4.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.12 R 18.48
$1.40 R 23.15
-20.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 R 19.32
$1.08 R 17.82
8.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 R 16.02
$0.89 R 14.74
8.99%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.97 R 48.97
$3.14 R 51.8
-5.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.83 R 79.7
$6.06 R 99.9
-20.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 R 19.07
$1.36 R 22.40
-14.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 R 28.21
$1.65 R 27.25
3.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 R 18.82
$1.70 R 28.08
-32.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.26 R 565
$71.1 R 1,172
-51.81%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.67 R 43.98
$1.15 R 18.88
132.17%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.41 R 6.76
$0.90 R 14.78
-54.44%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.89 R 130
$4.01 R 66.0
96.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.27 R 20.97
$1.28 R 21.07
-0.78%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.7K R 390.6K
$22.5K R 370.2K
5.51%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.2K R 415.3K
$23.7K R 391.2K
6.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 R 1,891
$118 R 1,943
-2.66%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.79 R 524
$40.87 R 674
-22.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.09 R 727
$43.16 R 711
2.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.09 R 479
$34.37 R 566
-15.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$21.27 R 351
$13.89 R 229
53.13%
Cinema Ticket
$9.76 R 161
$7.29 R 120
33.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$163 R 2,683
$208 R 3,435
-21.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,828 R 79.6K
$4,878 R 80.4K
-1.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$65.9 R 1,086
$51.0 R 840
29.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.78 R 623
$34.10 R 562
10.79%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.5 R 1,590
$89.7 R 1,478
7.58%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.9 R 1,465
$79.9 R 1,317
11.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$598 R 9,855
$415 R 6,838
44.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$437 R 7,197
$371 R 6,110
17.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,100 R 18.1K
$908 R 15.0K
21.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$861 R 14.2K
$698 R 11.5K
23.35%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$783 R 12.9K
$1,061 R 17.5K
-26.19%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$547 R 9,018
$770 R 12.7K
-28.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,638 R 27.0K
$1,669 R 27.5K
-1.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.04
11.51
4.60%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: March 3, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities