Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Shepstone and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $1,058 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
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Port Shepstone Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Port Shepstone vs $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Port Shepstone $1,058
Johannesburg $1,428

A couple spends around $1,592 per month in Port Shepstone vs $2,226 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Port Shepstone $1,592
Johannesburg $2,226

A family of three spends $2,126 per month in Port Shepstone vs $3,023 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Port Shepstone $2,126
Johannesburg $3,023

Port Shepstone is about 26% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Port Shepstone sits 22% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.68 R 127

$12.35 R 204

-37.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.93 R 641

$46.17 R 761

-15.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 R 99.8

$7.42 R 122

-18.33%

Cappuccino

$2.72 R 44.89

$2.45 R 40.29

11.02%

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

$1.11 R 18.28

$1.28 R 21.09

-13.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 13.98

$0.92 R 15.08

-7.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 R 40.54

$2.36 R 38.87

4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 R 42.96

$2.82 R 46.43

-7.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 R 14.70

$1.37 R 22.51

-35.04%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 R 11.74

$1.26 R 20.81

-43.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.80

$1.72 R 28.37

-30.23%

Eggs

$1.50 R 24.68

$2.76 R 45.42

-45.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.14 R 118

$8.96 R 148

-20.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.63 R 59.8

$5.74 R 94.5

-36.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.22 R 119

$9.17 R 151

-21.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.19 R 19.63

$2.12 R 35.00

-43.87%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 R 11.85

$1.87 R 30.87

-61.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.62 R 10.27

$1.83 R 30.17

-66.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.49

$2.06 R 33.92

-24.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 R 9.83

$1.68 R 27.63

-64.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.11

$1.79 R 29.44

-18.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R 15.18

$1.47 R 24.22

-37.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 R 9.64

$1.31 R 21.66

-54.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 R 61.5

$3.53 R 58.2

5.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.0

$5.93 R 97.7

-20.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.39

$1.85 R 30.49

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.05

$2.33 R 38.34

-16.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 R 28.37

$2.06 R 33.90

-16.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$0.88 R 14.54

-53.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.42

$0.87 R 14.41

-13.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.83 R 129

$14.78 R 243

-47.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.86

$1.53 R 25.23

-13.07%

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

$34.9K R 575.0K

$35.7K R 588.6K

-2.32%

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

$33.1K R 544.9K

$35.2K R 580.5K

-6.13%

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

$123 R 2,025

$227 R 3,743

-45.89%

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

$18.38 R 303

$39.37 R 649

-53.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.21 R 613

$37.62 R 620

-1.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.90 R 526

$37.85 R 624

-15.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.48 R 156

$17.16 R 283

-44.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R 124

$8.43 R 139

-11.03%

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

$314 R 5,180

$248 R 4,089

26.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,567 R 124.7K

$5,491 R 90.5K

37.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 R 889

$60.2 R 991

-10.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.29 R 499

$45.06 R 742

-32.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,653

$112 R 1,846

-10.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,389

$112 R 1,849

-24.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,013

$519 R 8,550

-17.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R 6,887

$416 R 6,861

0.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 R 10.5K

$1,068 R 17.6K

-40.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 R 12.0K

$903 R 14.9K

-19.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$927 R 15.3K

$1,038 R 17.1K

-10.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$775 R 12.8K

$763 R 12.6K

1.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,033 R 50.0K

$1,716 R 28.3K

76.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.91

7.97%

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

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 20, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Shepstone

$418 39.5%

Johannesburg

$416 29.2% 0.4% $1.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Shepstone

$179 16.9%

Johannesburg

$304 21.3% 70.4% $126

Groceries & Markets

Port Shepstone

$145 13.7%

Johannesburg

$223 15.6% 53.9% $78

Eating Out

Port Shepstone

$138 13%

Johannesburg

$177 12.4% 28.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Port Shepstone

$121 11.4%

Johannesburg

$148 10.4% 22.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Port Shepstone

$47 4.4%

Johannesburg

$55 3.8% 16.6% $7.8

Getting Around

Port Shepstone

$11 * 1.1%

Johannesburg

$105 7.4% 849% $94

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Port Shepstone versus $519 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 77% higher in Port Shepstone, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Port Shepstone versus $46.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $145 vs $223 – making Port Shepstone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

Same time as Port Shepstone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,793

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

On the map

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Between locations

Port Shepstone Johannesburg 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Shepstone
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

Port Shepstone vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 35% more than Port Shepstone, 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 $1,587 per month in Port Shepstone and $2,142 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,058 in Port Shepstone and $1,428 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $314 per month in Port Shepstone and $248 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Shepstone, where all-in costs run around $1,058, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Port Shepstone it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Port Shepstone costs $1,058 versus $1,428 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 Port Shepstone. 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.