Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Francis Bay and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $979 a month against $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $979 per month in St Francis Bay vs $1,406 in Johannesburg, rent included.

St Francis Bay $979
Johannesburg $1,406

A couple spends around $1,629 per month in St Francis Bay vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

St Francis Bay $1,629
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $2,279 per month in St Francis Bay vs $2,983 in Johannesburg, rent included.

St Francis Bay $2,279
Johannesburg $2,983

St Francis Bay is about 30% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

St Francis Bay sits 28% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.81 R 177

$11.88 R 195

-9.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.74 R 685

$44.83 R 736

-6.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.53 R 58.0

$7.40 R 121

-52.30%

Cappuccino

$2.14 R 35.06

$2.45 R 40.15

-12.65%

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

$1.01 R 16.62

$1.23 R 20.13

-17.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.89

$0.92 R 15.14

-21.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 R 33.72

$2.45 R 40.23

-15.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.24

$2.74 R 44.94

-32.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R 15.43

$1.31 R 21.53

-28.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.33

$1.26 R 20.65

-20.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.64

$1.72 R 28.24

-12.79%

Eggs

$2.70 R 44.32

$2.63 R 43.19

2.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 R 117

$8.87 R 146

-19.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 R 85.7

$5.68 R 93.1

-8.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 R 142

$9.04 R 148

-4.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.71

$2.07 R 34.04

5.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.93

$1.91 R 31.28

-23.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 R 27.96

$1.83 R 29.95

-7.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.62

$2.05 R 33.63

-11.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.48

$1.70 R 27.93

2.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.56

$1.81 R 29.62

-24.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.29

$1.51 R 24.73

-17.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.84

$1.26 R 20.60

-18.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 51.5

$3.50 R 57.5

-10.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 77.7

$6.07 R 99.6

-21.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.84

$1.80 R 29.57

-29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.72

$2.31 R 37.85

-21.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.16

$1.62 R 26.62

9.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.7 R 1,488

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.44

$0.82 R 13.49

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.51

$0.92 R 15.04

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 R 141

$14.30 R 235

-39.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.44

$1.52 R 24.89

-13.82%

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

$21.0K R 344.6K

$35.4K R 580.8K

-40.67%

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

$35.2K R 577.0K

$34.7K R 570.0K

1.22%

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

$60.8 R 997

$228 R 3,738

-73.33%

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

$34.39 R 564

$38.51 R 632

-10.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.35 R 679

$38.02 R 624

8.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.64 R 470

$35.33 R 580

-18.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.00 R 197

$16.47 R 270

-27.14%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 R 151

$8.47 R 139

8.62%

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

$179 R 2,934

$247 R 4,052

-27.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,135 R 100.7K

$7,727 R 126.8K

-20.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 R 1,179

$58.1 R 954

23.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.31 R 645

$44.29 R 727

-11.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,842

$113 R 1,848

-0.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 R 1,560

$111 R 1,821

-14.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,891

$526 R 8,624

-20.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 R 5,056

$407 R 6,682

-24.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 R 13.7K

$1,091 R 17.9K

-23.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 R 11.7K

$900 R 14.8K

-21.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$784 R 12.9K

$1,029 R 16.9K

-23.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$648 R 10.6K

$748 R 12.3K

-13.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 R 28.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

10.91

9.44%

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

Last update for St Francis Bay: November 1, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St Francis Bay

$308 31.5%

Johannesburg

$407 29% 32.2% $99

Groceries & Markets

St Francis Bay

$190 19.4%

Johannesburg

$220 15.7% 16.1% $31

Eating Out

St Francis Bay

$144 14.7%

Johannesburg

$173 12.3% 20.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

St Francis Bay

$143 14.7%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 2.4% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Francis Bay

$136 14%

Johannesburg

$304 21.6% 123% $168

Sport & Entertainment

St Francis Bay

$47 4.8%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 11.1% $5.2

Getting Around

St Francis Bay

$10 * 1%

Johannesburg

$103 7.3% 904% $92

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $420 in St Francis Bay versus $526 in Johannesburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in St Francis Bay versus $45 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $220 – making St Francis Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

10:42 10:42 AM

Same time as St Francis Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,910

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

St Francis Bay Johannesburg 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

St Francis Bay
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

St Francis Bay vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 44% more than St Francis Bay, 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 $1,468 per month in St Francis Bay and $2,110 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St Francis Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $979 in St Francis Bay and $1,406 in Johannesburg. That makes St Francis Bay about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $179 per month in St Francis Bay and $247 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in St Francis Bay, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Johannesburg at $1,406. In St Francis Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward St Francis Bay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.