Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tembisa and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Tembisa: $1,105 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
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Tembisa Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,105 per month in Tembisa vs $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Tembisa $1,105
Johannesburg $1,410

A couple spends around $1,734 per month in Tembisa vs $2,182 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Tembisa $1,734
Johannesburg $2,182

A family of three spends $2,363 per month in Tembisa vs $2,954 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Tembisa $2,363
Johannesburg $2,954

Tembisa is about 22% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Tembisa sits 19% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.69 R 161

$11.92 R 199

-18.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.77 R 663

$44.33 R 739

-10.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 R 97.0

$7.42 R 124

-21.56%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R 38.53

$2.39 R 39.81

-3.35%

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

$1.10 R 18.29

$1.21 R 20.22

-9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R 13.79

$0.96 R 15.94

-13.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 R 40.12

$2.42 R 40.37

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 R 46.70

$2.67 R 44.42

4.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.53

$1.29 R 21.55

-9.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.37

$1.19 R 19.90

-7.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.35

$1.70 R 28.41

7.06%

Eggs

$2.54 R 42.40

$2.75 R 45.83

-7.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 R 140

$8.68 R 145

-3.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 R 81.9

$5.56 R 92.7

-11.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 120

$8.92 R 149

-19.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.09

$2.08 R 34.64

-12.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.11

$1.81 R 30.18

-6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.76

$1.73 R 28.87

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.71

$2.10 R 35.01

-20.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.26

$1.70 R 28.39

-14.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 24.12

$1.79 R 29.75

-18.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.62

$1.49 R 24.83

-16.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.41

$1.23 R 20.56

-5.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 R 55.4

$3.48 R 58.1

-4.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 R 83.8

$6.10 R 102

-17.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.20

$1.86 R 31.05

-25.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 R 32.84

$2.40 R 39.98

-17.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 R 26.03

$1.78 R 29.74

-12.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,484

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.61

$0.81 R 13.54

-20.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.53

$0.87 R 14.47

6.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.73 R 195

$14.32 R 239

-18.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.63

$1.53 R 25.47

-3.27%

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

$36.3K R 604.7K

$35.5K R 591.0K

2.31%

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

$33.3K R 554.9K

$34.0K R 566.8K

-2.10%

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

$149 R 2,479

$224 R 3,727

-33.49%

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

$35.37 R 589

$39.12 R 652

-9.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.16 R 619

$36.93 R 615

0.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 R 534

$35.49 R 591

-9.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.74 R 179

$17.43 R 290

-38.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R 123

$8.29 R 138

-11.10%

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

$247 R 4,116

$240 R 3,996

3.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,513 R 91.9K

$5,471 R 91.2K

0.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 R 906

$58.0 R 966

-6.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 R 551

$44.96 R 749

-26.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,687

$111 R 1,855

-9.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 R 1,486

$113 R 1,875

-20.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 R 6,537

$526 R 8,770

-25.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,987

$419 R 6,990

-14.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 R 12.4K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-32.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 R 12.5K

$885 R 14.7K

-14.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$877 R 14.6K

$1,035 R 17.3K

-15.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$682 R 11.4K

$734 R 12.2K

-7.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 R 9,430

$1,709 R 28.5K

-66.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.91

0.27%

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

Last update for Tembisa: October 27, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tembisa

$359 32.5%

Johannesburg

$419 29.8% 16.8% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tembisa

$221 20%

Johannesburg

$300 21.3% 35.4% $78

Groceries & Markets

Tembisa

$193 17.5%

Johannesburg

$218 15.5% 12.8% $25

Eating Out

Tembisa

$148 13.4%

Johannesburg

$172 12.2% 16.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Tembisa

$125 11.3%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 17.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Tembisa

$47 4.2%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 11.3% $5.3

Getting Around

Tembisa

$12 * 1%

Johannesburg

$101 7.2% 778% $90

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Tembisa 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.

Salaries in Johannesburg are about 3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Tembisa versus $44 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $218 – making Tembisa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

01:02 1:02 AM

Same time as Tembisa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,109

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

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Tembisa Johannesburg 25 km

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Tembisa
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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

Tembisa vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 28% more than Tembisa, 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 $1,658 per month in Tembisa 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 Tembisa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,105 in Tembisa and $1,410 in Johannesburg. That makes Tembisa about 22% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Tembisa and $240 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,105 in Tembisa to $1,410 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Tembisa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.