Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Randburg and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Randburg: $1,074 a month against $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Randburg
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Randburg Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Randburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,074

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,428

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,074 per month in Randburg vs $1,428 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Randburg $1,074
Johannesburg $1,428

A couple spends around $1,735 per month in Randburg vs $2,226 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Randburg $1,735
Johannesburg $2,226

A family of three spends $2,396 per month in Randburg vs $3,023 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Randburg $2,396
Johannesburg $3,023

Randburg is about 25% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Randburg sits 21% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.46 R 172

$12.35 R 204

-15.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.98 R 741

$46.17 R 761

-2.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.23 R 86.1

$7.42 R 122

-29.51%

Cappuccino

$2.46 R 40.49

$2.45 R 40.29

0.41%

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

$1.23 R 20.34

$1.28 R 21.09

-3.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.04

$0.92 R 15.08

-1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 R 41.99

$2.36 R 38.87

8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 R 56.2

$2.82 R 46.43

20.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.37 R 22.51

-1.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 R 19.22

$1.26 R 20.81

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 R 28.97

$1.72 R 28.37

2.33%

Eggs

$2.72 R 44.77

$2.76 R 45.42

-1.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.63 R 142

$8.96 R 148

-3.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.76 R 94.9

$5.74 R 94.5

0.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 119

$9.17 R 151

-21.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.69

$2.12 R 35.00

-0.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.88

$1.87 R 30.87

-12.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.19

$1.83 R 30.17

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.15

$2.06 R 33.92

-19.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.55

$1.68 R 27.63

2.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.08

$1.79 R 29.44

-5.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.21

$1.47 R 24.22

-16.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R 21.05

$1.31 R 21.66

-2.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 R 58.8

$3.53 R 58.2

1.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 82.3

$5.93 R 97.7

-15.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 26.27

$1.85 R 30.49

-14.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 R 35.72

$2.33 R 38.34

-6.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 R 33.90

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.6 R 1,509

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.76

$0.88 R 14.54

-67.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 R 15.74

$0.87 R 14.41

10.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.62 R 241

$14.78 R 243

-1.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 24.83

$1.53 R 25.23

-1.31%

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

$35.9K R 592.3K

$35.7K R 588.6K

0.62%

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

$34.1K R 561.8K

$35.2K R 580.5K

-3.22%

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

$154 R 2,537

$227 R 3,743

-32.21%

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

$39.21 R 646

$39.37 R 649

-0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.34 R 615

$37.62 R 620

-0.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.21 R 333

$37.85 R 624

-46.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.49 R 74.0

$17.16 R 283

-73.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R 123

$8.43 R 139

-11.51%

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

$267 R 4,392

$248 R 4,089

7.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,565 R 91.7K

$5,491 R 90.5K

1.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 877

$60.2 R 991

-11.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.95 R 757

$45.06 R 742

1.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,856

$112 R 1,846

0.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.3 R 1,405

$112 R 1,849

-24.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$314 R 5,179

$519 R 8,550

-39.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 R 5,043

$416 R 6,861

-26.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 R 10.3K

$1,068 R 17.6K

-41.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 R 11.9K

$903 R 14.9K

-20.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$602 R 9,922

$1,038 R 17.1K

-41.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$792 R 13.1K

$763 R 12.6K

3.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,953 R 32.2K

$1,716 R 28.3K

13.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.91

3.94%

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

Last update for Randburg: 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

Randburg

$306 28.5%

Johannesburg

$416 29.2% 36% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Randburg

$231 21.5%

Johannesburg

$304 21.3% 31.9% $74

Groceries & Markets

Randburg

$206 19.2%

Johannesburg

$223 15.6% 8% $16

Eating Out

Randburg

$157 14.6%

Johannesburg

$177 12.4% 12.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Randburg

$134 12.5%

Johannesburg

$148 10.4% 10.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Randburg

$35 3.3%

Johannesburg

$55 3.8% 55.7% $20

Getting Around

Randburg

$5.1 * 0.5%

Johannesburg

$105 7.4% 1972% $100

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $314 in Randburg 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 14% higher in Randburg, 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 $45.00 in Randburg versus $46.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $223 – making Randburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Randburg

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

12:52 12:52 PM

Same time as Randburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

335,000

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

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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

Randburg vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 33% more than Randburg, 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 $1,611 per month in Randburg 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 Randburg, 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 $1,074 in Randburg and $1,428 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 33%.

Kindergarten costs $267 per month in Randburg 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 Randburg, where all-in costs run around $1,074, than in Johannesburg at $1,428. In Randburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Randburg costs $1,074 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 Randburg. 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.