Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Johannesburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Johannesburg

🙂 Solo nomad: Upington is 24.2% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 12.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Upington is 22.8% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 10.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Upington
Johannesburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.38 R 202
$11.4 R 203
-0.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.57 R 597
$44.89 R 798
-25.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.9 R 87.1
$4.98 R 88.7
-1.61%
Cappuccino
$1.62 R 28.84
$2.18 R 38.8
-25.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 18.44
$1.04 R 18.45
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 R 11.79
$0.75 R 13.39
-12.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.6 R 28.42
$2.7 R 48.05
-40.74%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.46 R 43.68
$2.55 R 45.29
-3.53%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Upington
Johannesburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.86 R 15.29
$1.2 R 21.39
-28.33%
White Bread (500g)
$1.1 R 19.63
$1.1 R 19.5
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 R 27.86
$1.72 R 30.51
-8.72%
Eggs
$2.38 R 42.41
$2.47 R 43.92
-3.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.88 R 140
$8.04 R 143
-1.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.51 R 80.2
$4.91 R 87.4
-8.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.9 R 123
$6.75 R 120
2.22%
Apples (1kg)
$1.65 R 29.38
$1.69 R 30.11
-2.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.15
$1.53 R 27.16
-3.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 R 27.49
$1.47 R 26.22
5.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.57 R 27.95
$1.58 R 28.14
-0.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.37 R 24.4
$1.45 R 25.8
-5.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.22 R 21.76
$1.39 R 24.78
-12.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 19.23
$1.05 R 18.64
2.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 R 16.29
$0.95 R 16.87
-3.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.56 R 45.58
$3.04 R 54.1
-15.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.74 R 66.6
$5.99 R 107
-37.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.49
$1.31 R 23.23
5.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.64 R 29.15
$1.67 R 29.74
-1.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Upington
Johannesburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.62 R 28.86
$1.7 R 30.26
-4.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$71.1 R 1,265
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.13 R 20.14
$1.1 R 19.48
2.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.95 R 16.89
$0.94 R 16.73
1.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.92 R 69.7
$4.1 R 72.9
-4.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R 22.87
$1.21 R 21.58
6.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K R 383.9K
$22.3K R 396.4K
-3.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K R 430.5K
$24.4K R 433.4K
-0.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Upington
Johannesburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 R 2,116
$116 R 2,069
2.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.69 R 635
$40.29 R 717
-11.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.92 R 746
$42.05 R 748
-0.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Upington
Johannesburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.38 R 558
$34.62 R 616
-9.36%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$13.93 R 248
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.89 R 123
$7.23 R 129
-4.70%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Upington
Johannesburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$199 R 3,544
$206 R 3,665
-3.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,338 R 77.2K
$4,981 R 88.6K
-12.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Upington
Johannesburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.2 R 911
$50.6 R 899
1.36%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.96 R 568
$33.58 R 597
-4.82%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.6 R 1,575
$91.2 R 1,621
-2.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.4 R 1,412
$78.5 R 1,397
1.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Upington
Johannesburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$369 R 6,555
$423 R 7,519
-12.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$339 R 6,037
$371 R 6,592
-8.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$568 R 10.1K
$901 R 16K
-36.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$702 R 12.5K
$692 R 12.3K
1.41%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$690 R 12.3K
$1,111 R 19.8K
-37.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$657 R 11.7K
$748 R 13.3K
-12.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Upington
Johannesburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$763 R 13.6K
$1,585 R 28.2K
-51.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.38
11.51
-1.13%

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

Last update for Upington: October 27, 2025

Last update for Johannesburg: October 27, 2025

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