Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stilbaai and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,167 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Stilbaai
Learn more

Stilbaai Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
Learn more

Johannesburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,167

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,167 per month in Stilbaai vs $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Stilbaai $1,167
Johannesburg $1,410

A couple spends around $1,858 per month in Stilbaai vs $2,182 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Stilbaai $1,858
Johannesburg $2,182

A family of three spends $2,550 per month in Stilbaai vs $2,954 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Stilbaai $2,550
Johannesburg $2,954

Stilbaai is about 17% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Stilbaai sits 14% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.10 R 201

$11.92 R 198

1.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.25 R 769

$44.33 R 738

4.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.98 R 99.5

$7.42 R 124

-19.41%

Cappuccino

$2.45 R 40.73

$2.39 R 39.74

2.51%

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

$1.29 R 21.44

$1.21 R 20.19

6.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.44

$0.96 R 15.91

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 51.0

$2.42 R 40.31

26.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 R 59.9

$2.67 R 44.35

34.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 R 22.69

$1.29 R 21.52

5.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 R 21.38

$1.19 R 19.87

8.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.52

$1.70 R 28.36

25.88%

Eggs

$3.27 R 54.4

$2.75 R 45.76

18.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.09 R 151

$8.68 R 144

4.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 115

$5.56 R 92.6

24.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.71 R 162

$8.92 R 148

8.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.69

$2.08 R 34.58

-8.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.75

$1.81 R 30.14

5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.94

$1.73 R 28.82

-2.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.17

$2.10 R 34.95

0.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.65

$1.70 R 28.35

-9.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.93

$1.79 R 29.70

-16.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.69

$1.49 R 24.79

-12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 R 19.91

$1.23 R 20.53

-2.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 R 61.4

$3.48 R 58.0

6.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 R 102

$6.10 R 102

0.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.57

$1.86 R 31.00

-26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 R 35.28

$2.40 R 39.91

-11.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.69

$1.78 R 29.69

-13.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,481

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.44

$0.81 R 13.52

-22.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 R 25.10

$0.87 R 14.45

73.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.91 R 81.8

$14.32 R 238

-65.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 R 26.72

$1.53 R 25.43

5.23%

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

$35.9K R 597.0K

$35.5K R 590.1K

1.18%

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

$34.1K R 567.3K

$34.0K R 565.9K

0.24%

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

$117 R 1,945

$224 R 3,721

-47.72%

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

$29.32 R 488

$39.12 R 651

-25.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.62 R 676

$36.93 R 614

9.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.80 R 546

$35.49 R 590

-7.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.86 R 181

$17.43 R 290

-37.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 R 153

$8.29 R 138

11.22%

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

$263 R 4,381

$240 R 3,990

9.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,985 R 116.2K

$5,471 R 91.0K

27.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 935

$58.0 R 965

-3.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.57 R 542

$44.96 R 748

-27.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 R 2,041

$111 R 1,852

10.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 R 1,756

$113 R 1,872

-6.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$388 R 6,461

$526 R 8,756

-26.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$368 R 6,129

$419 R 6,979

-12.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$739 R 12.3K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-32.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 R 12.5K

$885 R 14.7K

-15.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$861 R 14.3K

$1,035 R 17.2K

-16.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$698 R 11.6K

$734 R 12.2K

-4.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.91

0.55%

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

Last update for Stilbaai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stilbaai

$368 31.6%

Johannesburg

$419 29.8% 13.9% $51

Groceries & Markets

Stilbaai

$228 19.5%

Johannesburg

$218 15.5% 4.4% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stilbaai

$187 16%

Johannesburg

$300 21.3% 60.4% $113

Eating Out

Stilbaai

$176 15.1%

Johannesburg

$172 12.2% 1.9% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Stilbaai

$143 12.2%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 3.1% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Stilbaai

$51 4.4%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 1.6% $0.8

Getting Around

Stilbaai

$14 * 1.2%

Johannesburg

$101 7.2% 606% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $388 in Stilbaai 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 $46 in Stilbaai versus $44 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $228 vs $218 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

Same time as Stilbaai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stilbaai Johannesburg 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Stilbaai
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

Stilbaai vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 21% more than Stilbaai, 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 $1,751 per month in Stilbaai and $2,115 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stilbaai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $388 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,167 in Stilbaai and $1,410 in Johannesburg. That’s a gap of about 21%.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Stilbaai and $240 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,167 in Stilbaai and $1,410 in Johannesburg, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,167 in Stilbaai to $1,410 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.