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

🙂 Solo nomad: Port Elizabeth is 8.2% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 0.1% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Port Elizabeth is 5.2% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.78 R 156
$11.4 R 203
-22.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.62 R 811
$44.89 R 798
1.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.18 R 92.1
$4.98 R 88.7
4.02%
Cappuccino
$2.18 R 38.79
$2.18 R 38.8
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 20.19
$1.04 R 18.45
9.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 18.5
$0.75 R 13.39
38.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.49 R 44.24
$2.7 R 48.05
-7.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 R 53.5
$2.55 R 45.29
18.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 R 18.98
$1.2 R 21.39
-10.83%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 R 16.83
$1.1 R 19.5
-13.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.5 R 26.73
$1.72 R 30.51
-12.79%
Eggs
$2.4 R 42.69
$2.47 R 43.92
-2.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.79 R 139
$8.04 R 143
-3.11%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.95 R 88
$4.91 R 87.4
0.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.28 R 147
$6.75 R 120
22.67%
Apples (1kg)
$1.64 R 29.14
$1.69 R 30.11
-2.96%
Banana (1kg)
$1.36 R 24.14
$1.53 R 27.16
-11.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.59 R 28.25
$1.47 R 26.22
8.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 R 28.72
$1.58 R 28.14
1.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.51 R 26.89
$1.45 R 25.8
4.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.13 R 20.11
$1.39 R 24.78
-18.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 R 20.34
$1.05 R 18.64
8.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 R 17.52
$0.95 R 16.87
4.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.98 R 53
$3.04 R 54.1
-1.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.69 R 83.4
$5.99 R 107
-21.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 20.34
$1.31 R 23.23
-12.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 R 30.03
$1.67 R 29.74
1.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.14 R 20.23
$1.7 R 30.26
-32.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.41 R 594
$71.1 R 1,265
-53.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.55 R 45.43
$1.1 R 19.48
131.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.41 R 7.31
$0.94 R 16.73
-56.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.77 R 138
$4.1 R 72.9
89.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 R 22.47
$1.21 R 21.58
4.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.5K R 417.7K
$22.3K R 396.4K
5.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.5K R 454.2K
$24.4K R 433.4K
4.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$115 R 2,051
$116 R 2,069
-0.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.18 R 572
$40.29 R 717
-20.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$44.7 R 795
$42.05 R 748
6.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.02 R 534
$34.62 R 616
-13.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$20.67 R 368
$13.93 R 248
48.38%
Cinema Ticket
$9.85 R 175
$7.23 R 129
36.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$165 R 2,930
$206 R 3,665
-20.05%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,774 R 84.9K
$4,981 R 88.6K
-4.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66 R 1,173
$50.6 R 899
30.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.7 R 670
$33.58 R 597
12.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 R 1,678
$91.2 R 1,621
3.47%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.5 R 1,592
$78.5 R 1,397
14.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$591 R 10.5K
$423 R 7,519
39.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$438 R 7,794
$371 R 6,592
18.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,126 R 20K
$901 R 16K
24.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$856 R 15.2K
$692 R 12.3K
23.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$873 R 15.5K
$1,111 R 19.8K
-21.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$635 R 11.3K
$748 R 13.3K
-15.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Port Elizabeth
Johannesburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,285 R 22.9K
$1,585 R 28.2K
-18.93%
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: October 28, 2025

Last update for Johannesburg: October 27, 2025

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