Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Melbourne 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Melbourne is 84.4% higher than in Johannesburg (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Melbourne is 110.4% higher than in Johannesburg
Rent Prices in Melbourne are 207.9% higher than in Johannesburg
Restaurant Prices in Melbourne are 85.3% higher than in Johannesburg
Groceries Prices in Melbourne are 141.0% higher than in Johannesburg
Local Purchasing Power in Melbourne is 38.3% higher than in Johannesburg
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Johannesburg Edit Melbourne Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 200.00 R
(17.21 A$)
348.59 R
(30.00 A$)
     +74.3 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 800.00 R
(68.85 A$)
1,394.35 R
(120.00 A$)
     +74.3 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 87.00 R
(7.49 A$)
174.29 R
(15.00 A$)
     +100.3 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 50.00 R
(4.30 A$)
136.53 R
(11.75 A$)
     +173.1 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 45.00 R
(3.87 A$)
133.63 R
(11.50 A$)
     +196.9 %
Cappuccino (regular) 39.78 R
(3.42 A$)
64.60 R
(5.56 A$)
     +62.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 19.12 R
(1.65 A$)
46.24 R
(3.98 A$)
     +141.8 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 14.70 R
(1.26 A$)
41.94 R
(3.61 A$)
     +185.4 %
Markets
Johannesburg Edit Melbourne Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 80.64 R
(6.94 A$)
104.03 R
(8.95 A$)
     +29.0 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 17.65 R
(1.52 A$)
42.26 R
(3.64 A$)
     +139.4 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 13.31 R
(1.15 A$)
18.63 R
(1.60 A$)
     +40.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 42.57 R
(3.66 A$)
88.10 R
(7.58 A$)
     +106.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 66.97 R
(5.76 A$)
80.43 R
(6.92 A$)
     +20.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 38.83 R
(3.34 A$)
75.48 R
(6.50 A$)
     +94.4 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 54.90 R
(4.73 A$)
111.73 R
(9.62 A$)
     +103.5 %
Apples (1 lb) 13.29 R
(1.14 A$)
26.26 R
(2.26 A$)
     +97.5 %
Banana (1 lb) 12.16 R
(1.05 A$)
23.33 R
(2.01 A$)
     +91.9 %
Oranges (1 lb) 12.61 R
(1.09 A$)
24.29 R
(2.09 A$)
     +92.7 %
Tomato (1 lb) 13.46 R
(1.16 A$)
32.22 R
(2.77 A$)
     +139.3 %
Potato (1 lb) 12.26 R
(1.06 A$)
22.03 R
(1.90 A$)
     +79.7 %
Onion (1 lb) 12.23 R
(1.05 A$)
19.01 R
(1.64 A$)
     +55.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 19.35 R
(1.67 A$)
39.10 R
(3.36 A$)
     +102.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 16.50 R
(1.42 A$)
28.20 R
(2.43 A$)
     +70.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 100.00 R
(8.61 A$)
232.39 R
(20.00 A$)
     +132.4 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 24.54 R
(2.11 A$)
83.38 R
(7.18 A$)
     +239.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 28.99 R
(2.49 A$)
93.20 R
(8.02 A$)
     +221.5 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 55.00 R
(4.73 A$)
580.98 R
(50.00 A$)
     +956.3 %
Transportation
Johannesburg Edit Melbourne Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 34.00 R
(2.93 A$)
63.91 R
(5.50 A$)
     +88.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 1,500.00 R
(129.09 A$)
2,207.72 R
(190.00 A$)
     +47.2 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 20.00 R
(1.72 A$)
63.91 R
(5.50 A$)
     +219.5 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 25.75 R
(2.22 A$)
37.40 R
(3.22 A$)
     +45.2 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 72.00 R
(6.20 A$)
503.36 R
(43.32 A$)
     +599.1 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 83.89 R
(7.22 A$)
79.00 R
(6.80 A$)
     -5.8 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 400,000.00 R
(34,424.69 A$)
503,783.78 R
(43,356.50 A$)
     +25.9 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 453,497.06 R
(39,028.74 A$)
407,745.91 R
(35,091.32 A$)
     -10.1 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Johannesburg Edit Melbourne Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 2,084.49 R
(179.39 A$)
2,879.37 R
(247.80 A$)
     +38.1 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 734.00 R
(63.17 A$)
386.45 R
(33.26 A$)
     -47.4 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 756.66 R
(65.12 A$)
899.35 R
(77.40 A$)
     +18.9 %
Sports And Leisure
Johannesburg Edit Melbourne Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 612.69 R
(52.73 A$)
870.76 R
(74.94 A$)
     +42.1 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 250.77 R
(21.58 A$)
272.03 R
(23.41 A$)
     +8.5 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 135.00 R
(11.62 A$)
278.87 R
(24.00 A$)
     +106.6 %
Childcare
Johannesburg Edit Melbourne Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 3,704.76 R
(318.84 A$)
32,530.21 R
(2,799.61 A$)
     +778.1 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 92,189.47 R
(7,933.98 A$)
370,441.98 R
(31,880.88 A$)
     +301.8 %
Clothing And Shoes
Johannesburg Edit Melbourne Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 911.27 R
(78.43 A$)
1,155.06 R
(99.41 A$)
     +26.8 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 641.86 R
(55.24 A$)
956.83 R
(82.35 A$)
     +49.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 1,670.83 R
(143.79 A$)
1,822.16 R
(156.82 A$)
     +9.1 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 1,425.22 R
(122.66 A$)
1,839.76 R
(158.33 A$)
     +29.1 %
Rent Per Month
Johannesburg Edit Melbourne Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 7,637.50 R
(657.30 A$)
28,163.24 R
(2,423.78 A$)
     +268.7 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 6,837.48 R
(588.45 A$)
21,857.85 R
(1,881.12 A$)
     +219.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 17,065.22 R
(1,468.66 A$)
52,864.90 R
(4,549.64 A$)
     +209.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 13,227.27 R
(1,138.36 A$)
34,967.56 R
(3,009.37 A$)
     +164.4 %
Buy Apartment Price
Johannesburg Edit Melbourne Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,703.21 R
(146.58 A$)
11,869.53 R
(1,021.51 A$)
     +596.9 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,195.34 R
(102.87 A$)
9,918.40 R
(853.59 A$)
     +729.8 %
Salaries And Financing
Johannesburg Edit Melbourne Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 24,810.62 R
(2,135.25 A$)
72,215.87 R
(6,215.02 A$)
     +191.1 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 11.50 6.13      -46.6 %
Last update: 6 July 20255 July 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:155354