Cost of Living in Johannesburg, 🇿🇦 South Africa - For Locals, Nomads, and Tourists

AI estimate Updated Mar 22, 2026 About costs

Cost breakdown

Digital nomad: short-term stay (1-3 months). Furnished Airbnb or coliving near center, coworking, eating out ~3x/day, travel health insurance.

Expat: long-term resident (1+ years). Renting apartment in center, mix of cooking and dining out, local health insurance, settled lifestyle.

Family: middle-class 4-person family. 2-3 bedroom in suburbs, groceries for 4, international school, car/transport, family health plan.

Local: budget-conscious local resident. Renting outside center, cooking at home, public transport, local phone plan.

Tourist: short-stay visitor (1-14 days). Hotel/Airbnb nightly, all meals at restaurants, taxis, sightseeing.

CategoryCost

Housing $1,089 $648 $1,295 $442 $97

Utilities — $130 $265 $71 —

Internet & Mobile $106 $65 $106 $38 $4

Groceries $88 $324 $824 $224 $7

Transportation $265 $206 $442 $82 $32

Dining Out $677 $283 $383 $71 $56

Leisure Activities $247 $147 $294 $47 $26

Health Insurance $85 $165 $424 — —

Visa & Legal Fees $35 $26 $53 — —

Total $2,592 $1,994 $4,086 $975 $222

Itemized prices

Local prices converted to the selected currency.

Housing

Apartment (1 bedroom) $500.46 per month

Coworking Space $188.41 per month

Airbnb (1 month) $1,089.24 per month

Coliving Space $618.22 per month

Food & Dining

Coffee $2.47 per cup

Beer $2.83 per pint

Meal (Inexpensive) $9.71 per meal

Fast Food Combo $6.77 per meal

Apples $1.88 per kg

Bread $1.24 per loaf

Milk $1.38 per liter

Rice $2.00 per kg

Chicken Fillets $6.18 per kg

Beef $8.54 per kg

Wine (Mid-range) $7.07 per bottle

Meal (Mid-range, 2 people) $50.05 per meal

Water (1.5L bottle) $1.06 per bottle

Transportation

Taxi Start $1.47 per trip

Taxi per km $0.94 per km

Monthly Transport Pass $55.93 per month

Gasoline $1.56 per liter

Ride-hailing (5km) $5.00 per trip

Scooter Rental $20.61 per month

Services

Mobile Plan $26.49 per month

Internet (60 Mbps+) $50.05 per month

Gym Membership $44.16 per month

Tennis Court (Weekend) $8.24 per hour

SIM Card (Tourist, prepaid) $8.83 one-time

Entertainment

Cinema Ticket $7.95 per ticket

Clothing

Jeans $55.93 per pair

Summer Dress $38.27 per dress

Running Shoes $108.92 per pair

Personal Care

Haircut $17.66 per visit

Laundry $7.07 per kg

Healthcare

Doctor Visit (GP) $38.27 per visit

Pharmacy (basic meds) $8.24 per purchase

About these costs

Method: AI estimate
Last updated: Mar 22, 2026
Generated by: Model not recorded
Last changed: None yet
Exchange rate: 1 USD = 16.9844 ZAR

Generated by an AI model without cited sources and not yet checked by research. A research pass replaces these values with sourced ones, compared with similar cities.

Johannesburg cost of living