Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Welkom and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,057 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,057

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,057 per month in Welkom vs $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Welkom $1,057
Johannesburg $1,430

A couple spends around $1,595 per month in Welkom vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Welkom $1,595
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $2,132 per month in Welkom vs $2,960 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Welkom $2,132
Johannesburg $2,960

Welkom is about 26% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Welkom sits 22% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.03 R 149

$11.98 R 197

-24.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.75 R 342

$43.02 R 709

-51.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 R 90.6

$7.12 R 117

-22.75%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R 37.92

$2.41 R 39.72

-4.56%

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

$0.50 R 8.20

$1.17 R 19.21

-57.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R 10.32

$0.93 R 15.30

-32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 R 19.67

$2.25 R 37.03

-47.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.05

$2.76 R 45.49

-44.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R 17.35

$1.31 R 21.59

-19.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 R 17.42

$1.28 R 21.12

-17.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.35

$1.72 R 28.37

-17.44%

Eggs

$1.80 R 29.60

$2.63 R 43.34

-31.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.71 R 111

$8.47 R 140

-20.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.52 R 74.4

$5.47 R 90.0

-17.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.82 R 79.5

$8.80 R 145

-45.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.12

$2.12 R 34.89

-28.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.69

$1.79 R 29.45

-6.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.42

$1.85 R 30.47

-7.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 R 19.72

$2.12 R 34.99

-43.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.54

$1.74 R 28.61

-35.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.09

$1.83 R 30.09

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 R 15.69

$1.43 R 23.53

-33.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.12

$1.33 R 21.99

0.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.48 R 40.92

$3.30 R 54.3

-24.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.44 R 40.23

$5.91 R 97.3

-58.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R 25.18

$1.81 R 29.89

-15.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 R 30.12

$2.49 R 40.95

-26.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 R 23.72

$2.01 R 33.11

-28.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 R 1,481

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.11

$0.83 R 13.62

-62.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R 13.35

$0.89 R 14.70

-8.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.49 R 239

$14.42 R 238

0.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.04

$1.49 R 24.51

2.01%

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

$35.3K R 581.8K

$35.2K R 579.4K

0.41%

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

$34.5K R 568.2K

$32.5K R 534.9K

6.22%

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

$151 R 2,491

$233 R 3,841

-35.14%

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

$37.35 R 615

$37.52 R 618

-0.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.39 R 600

$36.32 R 598

0.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 R 533

$36.44 R 600

-11.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.53 R 157

$17.23 R 284

-44.69%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 R 121

$7.66 R 126

-4.44%

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

$265 R 4,368

$246 R 4,048

7.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,448 R 89.8K

$5,533 R 91.2K

-1.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 893

$58.4 R 963

-7.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.69 R 522

$45.21 R 745

-29.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 R 1,519

$110 R 1,817

-16.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 R 1,361

$105 R 1,734

-21.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 R 6,490

$493 R 8,127

-20.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 5,997

$435 R 7,160

-16.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 R 12.0K

$985 R 16.2K

-26.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 R 12.1K

$896 R 14.8K

-17.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$950 R 15.6K

$967 R 15.9K

-1.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$754 R 12.4K

$746 R 12.3K

1.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,738 R 28.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.91

3.94%

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

Last update for Welkom: October 13, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Welkom

$364 34.4%

Johannesburg

$435 30.4% 19.4% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Welkom

$225 21.3%

Johannesburg

$307 21.5% 36.5% $82

Groceries & Markets

Welkom

$164 15.5%

Johannesburg

$218 15.3% 33.4% $55

Eating Out

Welkom

$130 12.3%

Johannesburg

$171 12% 32% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Welkom

$117 11.1%

Johannesburg

$144 10.1% 22.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Welkom

$47 4.5%

Johannesburg

$52 3.6% 10.2% $4.8

Getting Around

Welkom

$10 * 1%

Johannesburg

$103 7.2% 920% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Welkom versus $493 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 $21.00 in Welkom versus $43.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $218 – making Welkom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Welkom

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

10:56 10:56 AM

Same time as Welkom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,130

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Welkom Johannesburg 240 km

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Welkom
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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

Welkom vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 35% more than Welkom, 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 $1,585 per month in Welkom and $2,145 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Welkom, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,057 in Welkom and $1,430 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $265 per month in Welkom and $246 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Welkom, where all-in costs run around $1,057, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Welkom it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Welkom costs $1,057 versus $1,430 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Welkom. 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.