Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rustenburg and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $799 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$799

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $799 per month in Rustenburg vs $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Rustenburg $799
Johannesburg $1,430

A couple spends around $1,318 per month in Rustenburg vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Rustenburg $1,318
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $1,837 per month in Rustenburg vs $2,960 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Rustenburg $1,837
Johannesburg $2,960

Rustenburg is about 44% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Rustenburg sits 41% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 R 101

$11.98 R 197

-49.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.66 R 719

$43.02 R 709

1.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.28 R 103

$7.12 R 117

-11.80%

Cappuccino

$2.03 R 33.47

$2.41 R 39.72

-15.77%

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

$0.96 R 15.75

$1.17 R 19.21

-17.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R 8.26

$0.93 R 15.30

-46.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R 24.37

$2.25 R 37.03

-34.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.40

$2.76 R 45.49

-24.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.38

$1.31 R 21.59

-14.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 R 16.36

$1.28 R 21.12

-22.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.20

$1.72 R 28.37

2.91%

Eggs

$2.70 R 44.53

$2.63 R 43.34

2.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 R 121

$8.47 R 140

-13.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 R 82.6

$5.47 R 90.0

-8.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.44 R 106

$8.80 R 145

-26.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.00

$2.12 R 34.89

-16.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.27

$1.79 R 29.45

-11.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.47

$1.85 R 30.47

-3.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 R 18.78

$2.12 R 34.99

-46.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 R 21.96

$1.74 R 28.61

-23.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.89

$1.83 R 30.09

-40.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.15

$1.43 R 23.53

-10.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.48

$1.33 R 21.99

-29.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 R 51.5

$3.30 R 54.3

-5.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.96 R 98.2

$5.91 R 97.3

0.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 R 9.55

$1.81 R 29.89

-67.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.61

$2.49 R 40.95

-61.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 R 33.11

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 R 1,481

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.48

$0.83 R 13.62

-1.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.42

$0.89 R 14.70

-1.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 242

$14.42 R 238

1.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.55

$1.49 R 24.51

-4.03%

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

$28.4K R 468.3K

$35.2K R 579.4K

-19.17%

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

$27.6K R 455.5K

$32.5K R 534.9K

-14.84%

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

$74.9 R 1,233

$233 R 3,841

-67.89%

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

$13.66 R 225

$37.52 R 618

-63.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.01 R 593

$36.32 R 598

-0.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.21 R 349

$36.44 R 600

-41.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.21 R 102

$17.23 R 284

-63.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 R 81.5

$7.66 R 126

-35.51%

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

$112 R 1,841

$246 R 4,048

-54.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,493 R 90.5K

$5,533 R 91.2K

-0.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.05 R 709

$58.4 R 963

-26.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.85 R 772

$45.21 R 745

3.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,798

$110 R 1,817

-1.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 R 901

$105 R 1,734

-48.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 R 5,537

$493 R 8,127

-31.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 R 3,937

$435 R 7,160

-45.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$985 R 16.2K

-27.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 R 8,559

$896 R 14.8K

-42.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$967 R 15.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$746 R 12.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,085 R 17.9K

$1,738 R 28.6K

-37.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.9

10.91

-9.26%

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

Last update for Rustenburg: October 11, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rustenburg

$239 29.9%

Johannesburg

$435 30.4% 81.9% $196

Groceries & Markets

Rustenburg

$176 22%

Johannesburg

$218 15.3% 24.1% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rustenburg

$125 15.6%

Johannesburg

$307 21.5% 147% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Rustenburg

$114 14.3%

Johannesburg

$144 10.1% 25.8% $29

Eating Out

Rustenburg

$110 13.7%

Johannesburg

$171 12% 56.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Rustenburg

$31 3.9%

Johannesburg

$52 3.6% 66.4% $21

Getting Around

Rustenburg

$5.2 * 0.7%

Johannesburg

$103 7.2% 1885% $98

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $336 in Rustenburg versus $493 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 60% higher in Johannesburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Rustenburg versus $43.00 in Johannesburg. Groceries tell a different story – $176 in Rustenburg vs $218 in Johannesburg – so Rustenburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

Same time as Rustenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

549,575

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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Rustenburg Johannesburg 100 km

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Rustenburg
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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

Rustenburg vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 79% more than Rustenburg, 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 $1,199 per month in Rustenburg and $2,145 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rustenburg, 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 $799 in Rustenburg and $1,430 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 79%.

Kindergarten costs $112 per month in Rustenburg and $246 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rustenburg, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Rustenburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Rustenburg costs $799 versus $1,430 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 Rustenburg. 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.