Cost of living comparison
Houston vs. Johannesburg Cost of Living Summary
Houston is 79.5% more expensive than Johannesburg.
- Restaurants
-
pay 70.6% more in Houston
- Groceries
-
pay 45.1% more in Houston
- Transportation
-
pay 14.2% less in Houston
- Housing
-
pay 2.7 times more in Houston
- Childcare
-
pay 6.1 times more in Houston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 90.5% more in Houston
- Clothing
-
pay 6.3% less in Houston
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in Houston are more expensive than in Johannesburg. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Houston. Notably, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Houston.
Houston vs. Johannesburg Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Houston instead of Johannesburg, you would:
pay 70.6% more for restaurants
|
Johannesburg
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.02
ZAR198.53
|
$20.38
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.21
ZAR119.12
|
$10.14
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.20
ZAR19.78
|
$2.70
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.89
ZAR14.72
|
$2.32
|
|
pay 45.1% more for groceries
|
Johannesburg
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.25
ZAR20.60
|
$3.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.31
ZAR71.21
|
$5.66
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.00
ZAR82.66
|
$3.25
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.67
ZAR44.17
|
$3.48
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.50
ZAR41.31
|
$5.78
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.93
ZAR15.41
|
$1.82
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.83
ZAR13.73
|
$0.65
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.83
ZAR13.65
|
$1.38
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
ZAR15.52
|
$1.71
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.76
ZAR12.59
|
$0.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.84
ZAR13.83
|
$1.24
|
|
pay 14.2% less for transportation
|
Johannesburg
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.77
ZAR95.33
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.13
ZAR1,488.99
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,391.94
ZAR585K
|
$36,232.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.05
ZAR133.02
|
$14.39
|
|
pay 2.7 times more for housing
|
Johannesburg
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$35.90
ZAR593.03
|
$74.61
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$498.84
ZAR8,240.91
|
$1,678.93
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$425.42
ZAR7,028.03
|
$1,381.10
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$174.98
ZAR2,890.63
|
$160.23
|
|
pay 6.1 times more for childcare
|
Johannesburg
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$242.74
ZAR4,010.09
|
$2,193.79
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,468.16
ZAR90,334.24
|
$22,233.33
|
|
pay 90.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Johannesburg
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
ZAR37.22
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.44
ZAR40.34
|
$5.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.30
ZAR54.60
|
$9.73
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.60
ZAR604.68
|
$40.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.81
ZAR129.05
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 6.3% less for clothing
|
Johannesburg
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.63
ZAR952.05
|
$49.91
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.77
ZAR756.18
|
$47.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$108.45
ZAR1,791.55
|
$104.92
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.86
ZAR1,748.89
|
$94.80
|
|
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
Change currency:
Compare further: Johannesburg vs. Houston
Compare countries by overall cost of living
Help us improve these prices
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Houston or Johannesburg. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.