Cost of living comparison
Atlanta vs. Johannesburg Cost of Living Summary
Atlanta is 2.1 times more expensive than Johannesburg.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.2 times more in Atlanta
- Groceries
-
pay 85.6% more in Atlanta
- Transportation
-
pay 4.5% less in Atlanta
- Housing
-
pay 3.0 times more in Atlanta
- Childcare
-
pay 5.6 times more in Atlanta
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 93.4% more in Atlanta
- Clothing
-
pay 4.1% less in Atlanta
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Atlanta are more expensive than in Johannesburg. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Atlanta. Notably, childcare, housing, and restaurants are significantly more expensive in Atlanta.
Atlanta vs. Johannesburg Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Atlanta instead of Johannesburg, you would:
pay 2.2 times more for restaurants
|
Johannesburg
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.02
ZAR198.53
|
$33.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.21
ZAR119.12
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.20
ZAR19.78
|
$2.81
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.89
ZAR14.72
|
$2.10
|
|
pay 85.6% more for groceries
|
Johannesburg
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.25
ZAR20.60
|
$3.48
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.31
ZAR71.21
|
$6.91
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.00
ZAR82.66
|
$3.36
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.67
ZAR44.17
|
$4.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.50
ZAR41.31
|
$6.65
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.93
ZAR15.41
|
$2.69
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.83
ZAR13.73
|
$0.67
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.83
ZAR13.65
|
$2.71
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
ZAR15.52
|
$2.42
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.76
ZAR12.59
|
$1.65
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.84
ZAR13.83
|
$1.22
|
|
pay 4.5% less for transportation
|
Johannesburg
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.77
ZAR95.33
|
$3.86
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.13
ZAR1,488.99
|
$97.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,391.94
ZAR585K
|
$36,812.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.05
ZAR133.02
|
$15.43
|
|
pay 3.0 times more for housing
|
Johannesburg
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$35.90
ZAR593.03
|
$84.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$498.84
ZAR8,240.91
|
$2,089.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$425.42
ZAR7,028.03
|
$1,521.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$174.98
ZAR2,890.63
|
$153.48
|
|
pay 5.6 times more for childcare
|
Johannesburg
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$242.74
ZAR4,010.09
|
$1,850.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,468.16
ZAR90,334.24
|
$22,530.88
|
|
pay 93.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Johannesburg
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
ZAR37.22
|
$7.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.44
ZAR40.34
|
$5.55
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.30
ZAR54.60
|
$8.47
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.60
ZAR604.68
|
$32.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.81
ZAR129.05
|
$17.00
|
|
pay 4.1% less for clothing
|
Johannesburg
|
Atlanta
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.63
ZAR952.05
|
$53.27
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.77
ZAR756.18
|
$44.80
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$108.45
ZAR1,791.55
|
$98.12
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.86
ZAR1,748.89
|
$109.27
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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