Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Sebastian vs. Johannesburg Cost of Living Summary
San Sebastian is 43.1% more expensive than Johannesburg.
- Restaurants
-
pay 53.7% more in San Sebastian
- Groceries
-
pay 31.7% more in San Sebastian
- Transportation
-
pay 12.6% less in San Sebastian
- Housing
-
pay 94.9% more in San Sebastian
- Childcare
-
pay 2.2 times more in San Sebastian
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 18.1% more in San Sebastian
- Clothing
-
pay 6.2% less in San Sebastian
The cost of childcare, housing, restaurants, groceries, and entertainment and sports in San Sebastian are more expensive than in Johannesburg. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in San Sebastian. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in San Sebastian.
San Sebastian vs. Johannesburg Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Sebastian instead of Johannesburg, you would:
pay 53.7% more for restaurants
|
Johannesburg
|
San Sebastian
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.02
ZAR198.22
|
$16.80
€14.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.21
ZAR118.93
|
$10.64
€9.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.20
ZAR19.75
|
$2.80
€2.49
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.89
ZAR14.70
|
$1.60
€1.42
|
|
Johannesburg vs. San Sebastian - Cost of restaurants
pay 31.7% more for groceries
|
Johannesburg
|
San Sebastian
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.25
ZAR20.56
|
$1.03
€0.92
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.31
ZAR71.09
|
$11.34
€10.09
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.00
ZAR82.53
|
$4.42
€3.93
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.67
ZAR44.10
|
$3.64
€3.24
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.50
ZAR41.25
|
$3.68
€3.28
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.93
ZAR15.38
|
$1.16
€1.04
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.83
ZAR13.71
|
$1.07
€0.95
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.83
ZAR13.63
|
$1.49
€1.32
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
ZAR15.50
|
$1.30
€1.16
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.76
ZAR12.57
|
$0.95
€0.84
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.84
ZAR13.80
|
$0.90
€0.81
|
|
Johannesburg vs. San Sebastian - Cost of groceries
pay 12.6% less for transportation
|
Johannesburg
|
San Sebastian
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.77
ZAR95.18
|
$6.62
€5.89
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.13
ZAR1,486.64
|
$33.59
€29.90
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,391.94
ZAR584K
|
$36,315.82
€32,322.39
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.05
ZAR132.81
|
$14.15
€12.60
|
|
Johannesburg vs. San Sebastian - Cost of transportation
pay 94.9% more for housing
|
Johannesburg
|
San Sebastian
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$35.90
ZAR592.10
|
$35.27
€31.39
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$498.84
ZAR8,227.92
|
$1,404.47
€1,250.03
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$425.42
ZAR7,016.95
|
$973.61
€866.55
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$174.98
ZAR2,886.07
|
$104.82
€93.29
|
|
Johannesburg vs. San Sebastian - Cost of housing
pay 2.2 times more for childcare
|
Johannesburg
|
San Sebastian
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$242.74
ZAR4,003.77
|
$447.89
€398.64
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,468.16
ZAR90,191.79
|
$13,784.69
€12,268.87
|
|
Johannesburg vs. San Sebastian - Cost of childcare
pay 18.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Johannesburg
|
San Sebastian
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
ZAR37.17
|
$3.36
€2.99
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.44
ZAR40.27
|
$2.05
€1.83
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.30
ZAR54.51
|
$6.16
€5.48
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.60
ZAR603.73
|
$42.83
€38.12
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.81
ZAR128.84
|
$8.45
€7.52
|
|
Johannesburg vs. San Sebastian - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.2% less for clothing
|
Johannesburg
|
San Sebastian
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.63
ZAR950.55
|
$72.78
€64.78
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.77
ZAR754.99
|
$32.19
€28.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$108.45
ZAR1,788.73
|
$74.46
€66.27
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.86
ZAR1,746.13
|
$134.37
€119.59
|
|
Johannesburg vs. San Sebastian - Cost of clothing
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. San Sebastian
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in South Africa vs. Spain.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within South Africa and Spain.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about San Sebastian or Johannesburg. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.