Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,111 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,111

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,111 per month in Upington vs $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Upington $1,111
Johannesburg $1,410

A couple spends around $1,731 per month in Upington vs $2,182 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Upington $1,731
Johannesburg $2,182

A family of three spends $2,350 per month in Upington vs $2,954 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Upington $2,350
Johannesburg $2,954

Upington is about 21% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Upington sits 18% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 R 202

$11.92 R 199

1.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.62 R 594

$44.33 R 739

-19.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 R 97.2

$7.42 R 124

-21.43%

Cappuccino

$1.75 R 29.17

$2.39 R 39.81

-26.78%

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

$1.02 R 17.06

$1.21 R 20.22

-15.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.87

$0.96 R 15.94

-19.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 R 28.38

$2.42 R 40.37

-29.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.95

$2.67 R 44.42

3.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R 15.45

$1.29 R 21.55

-27.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 R 20.27

$1.19 R 19.90

2.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.83

$1.70 R 28.41

-5.29%

Eggs

$2.22 R 36.95

$2.75 R 45.83

-19.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 R 138

$8.68 R 145

-4.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R 89.9

$5.56 R 92.7

-2.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.17 R 136

$8.92 R 149

-8.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 R 34.27

$2.08 R 34.64

-0.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.81 R 30.18

-17.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.37

$1.73 R 28.87

-5.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.31

$2.10 R 35.01

-16.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 R 22.33

$1.70 R 28.39

-21.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 23.11

$1.79 R 29.75

-22.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 R 18.43

$1.49 R 24.83

-25.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.33

$1.23 R 20.56

-0.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 R 46.01

$3.48 R 58.1

-20.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.73 R 62.1

$6.10 R 102

-38.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.67

$1.86 R 31.05

-17.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.77

$2.40 R 39.98

-12.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 R 24.31

$1.78 R 29.74

-17.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,484

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.64

$0.81 R 13.54

-20.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.16

$0.87 R 14.47

-9.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.30 R 188

$14.32 R 239

-21.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.20

$1.53 R 25.47

-5.23%

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

$40.3K R 671.8K

$35.5K R 591.0K

13.67%

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

$34.8K R 579.4K

$34.0K R 566.8K

2.22%

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

$148 R 2,472

$224 R 3,727

-33.66%

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

$39.28 R 655

$39.12 R 652

0.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 627

$36.93 R 615

1.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.10 R 468

$35.49 R 591

-20.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.70 R 195

$17.43 R 290

-32.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 133

$8.29 R 138

-3.50%

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

$103 R 1,709

$240 R 3,996

-57.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,540 R 92.3K

$5,471 R 91.2K

1.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 R 929

$58.0 R 966

-3.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.07 R 534

$44.96 R 749

-28.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 R 1,736

$111 R 1,855

-6.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,405

$113 R 1,875

-25.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 R 6,474

$526 R 8,770

-26.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 R 5,958

$419 R 6,990

-14.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 R 10.2K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-44.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 R 12.3K

$885 R 14.7K

-16.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$917 R 15.3K

$1,035 R 17.3K

-11.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$739 R 12.3K

$734 R 12.2K

0.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 R 13.0K

$1,709 R 28.5K

-54.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

10.91

4.31%

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

Last update for Upington: 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

Upington

$358 32.2%

Johannesburg

$419 29.8% 17.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upington

$225 20.3%

Johannesburg

$300 21.3% 33% $74

Groceries & Markets

Upington

$193 17.4%

Johannesburg

$218 15.5% 12.9% $25

Eating Out

Upington

$157 14.1%

Johannesburg

$172 12.2% 10% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Upington

$124 11.2%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 18.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Upington

$44 4%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 18.1% $8

Getting Around

Upington

$10 * 0.9%

Johannesburg

$101 7.2% 872% $91

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $389 in Upington 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 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Upington versus $44 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $218 – making Upington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Upington

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

16:48 4:48 PM

Same time as Upington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,834

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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Between locations

Upington Johannesburg 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Upington
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

Upington vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 27% more than Upington, 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 $1,667 per month in Upington 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 Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,111 in Upington and $1,410 in Johannesburg. That’s a gap of about 27%.

Kindergarten costs $103 per month in Upington and $240 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,111 in Upington and $1,410 in Johannesburg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Upington – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Upington. 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.