Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sun City and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Sun City: $1,270 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
Learn more

Sun City Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
Learn more

Johannesburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,270

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Sun City vs $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Sun City $1,270
Johannesburg $1,410

A couple spends around $1,953 per month in Sun City vs $2,182 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Sun City $1,953
Johannesburg $2,182

A family of three spends $2,636 per month in Sun City vs $2,954 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Sun City $2,636
Johannesburg $2,954

Sun City is about 10% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Sun City sits 7% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 R 199

$11.92 R 199

0.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.28 R 771

$44.33 R 739

4.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 R 124

$7.42 R 124

0.54%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.70

$2.39 R 39.81

4.60%

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

$1.26 R 21.01

$1.21 R 20.22

4.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.47

$0.96 R 15.94

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.80

$2.42 R 40.37

1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 46.01

$2.67 R 44.42

3.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.14

$1.29 R 21.55

3.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 R 20.05

$1.19 R 19.90

0.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.85

$1.70 R 28.41

1.76%

Eggs

$2.79 R 46.42

$2.75 R 45.83

1.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 R 149

$8.68 R 145

2.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 R 94.1

$5.56 R 92.7

1.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.75 R 146

$8.92 R 149

-1.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.07

$2.08 R 34.64

0.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 31.17

$1.81 R 30.18

3.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.35

$1.73 R 28.87

5.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.68

$2.10 R 35.01

1.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.43

$1.70 R 28.39

-2.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.80

$1.79 R 29.75

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 R 24.20

$1.49 R 24.83

-2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.70

$1.23 R 20.56

5.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 R 58.5

$3.48 R 58.1

0.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 R 100

$6.10 R 102

-1.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 30.11

$1.86 R 31.05

-2.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 38.43

$2.40 R 39.98

-3.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.83

$1.78 R 29.74

-12.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,484

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.68

$0.81 R 13.54

8.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.82

$0.87 R 14.47

9.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.33 R 239

$14.32 R 239

0.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 R 26.08

$1.53 R 25.47

1.96%

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

$35.8K R 596.0K

$35.5K R 591.0K

0.85%

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

$34.8K R 580.3K

$34.0K R 566.8K

2.38%

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

$229 R 3,823

$224 R 3,727

2.58%

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

$38.97 R 649

$39.12 R 652

-0.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.57 R 626

$36.93 R 615

1.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.51 R 542

$35.49 R 591

-8.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.11 R 185

$17.43 R 290

-36.26%

Cinema Ticket

$8.49 R 142

$8.29 R 138

2.41%

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

$246 R 4,106

$240 R 3,996

2.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,591 R 93.2K

$5,471 R 91.2K

2.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 R 982

$58.0 R 966

1.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.49 R 758

$44.96 R 749

1.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 R 1,922

$111 R 1,855

3.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,854

$113 R 1,875

-1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 R 6,607

$526 R 8,770

-24.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,982

$419 R 6,990

-14.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.1K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-34.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$885 R 14.7K

-17.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$874 R 14.6K

$1,035 R 17.3K

-15.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$681 R 11.3K

$734 R 12.2K

-7.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

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

Last update for Sun City: October 24, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sun City

$359 28.3%

Johannesburg

$419 29.8% 16.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sun City

$306 24.1%

Johannesburg

$300 21.3% 2% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

Sun City

$220 17.3%

Johannesburg

$218 15.5% 1% $2.3

Eating Out

Sun City

$175 13.8%

Johannesburg

$172 12.2% 1.4% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Sun City

$149 11.7%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 1.3% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sun City

$50 3.9%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 5.2% $2.6

Getting Around

Sun City

$12 * 0.9%

Johannesburg

$101 7.2% 757% $89

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Sun City 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 Sun City versus $44 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $218 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Sun City

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

Same time as Sun City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,556

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sun City Johannesburg 140 km

From you

Sun City
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

Sun City vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 11% more than Sun City, 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 $1,905 per month in Sun City 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 Sun City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,270 in Sun City and $1,410 in Johannesburg. That makes Sun City about 10% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Sun City and $44 in Johannesburg. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,270 in Sun City and $1,410 in Johannesburg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,270 in Sun City to $1,410 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.