Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stellenbosch and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,165 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,165

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,165 per month in Stellenbosch vs $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Stellenbosch $1,165
Johannesburg $1,430

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Stellenbosch vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Stellenbosch $1,913
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $2,660 per month in Stellenbosch vs $2,960 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Stellenbosch $2,660
Johannesburg $2,960

Stellenbosch is about 19% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Stellenbosch sits 14% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 R 120

$11.98 R 197

-39.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.82 R 590

$43.02 R 709

-16.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 R 77.8

$7.12 R 117

-33.71%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 33.74

$2.41 R 39.72

-14.94%

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

$1.00 R 16.52

$1.17 R 19.21

-14.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.67

$0.93 R 15.30

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 R 44.51

$2.25 R 37.03

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 R 50.7

$2.76 R 45.49

11.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.16

$1.31 R 21.59

2.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.28 R 21.12

-10.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.68

$1.72 R 28.37

8.14%

Eggs

$2.84 R 46.86

$2.63 R 43.34

7.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 R 142

$8.47 R 140

1.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 R 95.6

$5.47 R 90.0

6.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 R 124

$8.80 R 145

-14.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.67

$2.12 R 34.89

-17.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.14

$1.79 R 29.45

-17.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.78

$1.85 R 30.47

-8.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.17

$2.12 R 34.99

-25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.89

$1.74 R 28.61

-37.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.17

$1.83 R 30.09

-16.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.50

$1.43 R 23.53

-9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R 19.36

$1.33 R 21.99

-12.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.1

$3.30 R 54.3

6.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 102

$5.91 R 97.3

4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.93

$1.81 R 29.89

-26.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.91

$2.49 R 40.95

-12.45%

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)

$0.61 R 10.10

$0.83 R 13.62

-26.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 R 25.56

$0.89 R 14.70

74.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 R 82.7

$14.42 R 238

-65.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.05

$1.49 R 24.51

-6.04%

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

$35.0K R 577.2K

$35.2K R 579.4K

-0.38%

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

$31.0K R 510.9K

$32.5K R 534.9K

-4.49%

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

$103 R 1,691

$233 R 3,841

-55.98%

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

$28.53 R 470

$37.52 R 618

-23.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 R 565

$36.32 R 598

-5.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.25 R 482

$36.44 R 600

-19.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 R 277

$17.23 R 284

-2.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.66 R 126

16.06%

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

$264 R 4,351

$246 R 4,048

7.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,389 R 39.4K

$5,533 R 91.2K

-56.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 858

$58.4 R 963

-10.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.72 R 473

$45.21 R 745

-36.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,951

$110 R 1,817

7.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 R 1,486

$105 R 1,734

-14.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 R 11.5K

$493 R 8,127

41.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 R 8,038

$435 R 7,160

12.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 R 23.8K

$985 R 16.2K

46.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 R 19.0K

$896 R 14.8K

28.90%

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)

$2,556 R 42.1K

$1,738 R 28.6K

47.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.7

10.91

-1.92%

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

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 12, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stellenbosch

$488 41.9%

Johannesburg

$435 30.4% 10.9% $53

Groceries & Markets

Stellenbosch

$202 17.4%

Johannesburg

$218 15.3% 7.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stellenbosch

$165 14.2%

Johannesburg

$307 21.5% 85.5% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Stellenbosch

$130 11.2%

Johannesburg

$144 10.1% 10.3% $13

Eating Out

Stellenbosch

$124 10.6%

Johannesburg

$171 12% 38.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Stellenbosch

$47 4%

Johannesburg

$52 3.6% 10% $4.7

Getting Around

Stellenbosch

$8.4 * 0.7%

Johannesburg

$103 7.2% 1133% $95

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $698 in Stellenbosch 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 47% higher in Stellenbosch, 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 $36.00 in Stellenbosch versus $43.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $218 – making Stellenbosch the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

Same time as Stellenbosch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,068

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

Stellenbosch Johannesburg 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Stellenbosch
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

Stellenbosch vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 23% more than Stellenbosch, 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 $1,748 per month in Stellenbosch 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 Stellenbosch, 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 $1,165 in Stellenbosch and $1,430 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 23%.

Kindergarten costs $264 per month in Stellenbosch and $246 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 Stellenbosch, where all-in costs run around $1,165, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Stellenbosch it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Stellenbosch costs $1,165 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 Stellenbosch. 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.