Cost of living comparison
Toronto vs. Johannesburg Cost of Living Summary
Toronto is 67.8% more expensive than Johannesburg.
- Restaurants
-
pay 52.6% more in Toronto
- Groceries
-
pay 43.4% more in Toronto
- Transportation
-
pay 5.0% less in Toronto
- Housing
-
pay 2.4 times more in Toronto
- Childcare
-
pay 3.8 times more in Toronto
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 78.5% more in Toronto
- Clothing
-
pay 5.2% less in Toronto
The cost of childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in Toronto are more expensive than in Johannesburg. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in Toronto. Notably, childcare, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Toronto.
Toronto vs. Johannesburg Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Toronto instead of Johannesburg, you would:
pay 52.6% more for restaurants
|
Johannesburg
|
Toronto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$12.02
ZAR198.53
|
$17.53
CA$25.01
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.21
ZAR119.12
|
$10.52
CA$15.01
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.20
ZAR19.78
|
$2.08
CA$2.96
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.89
ZAR14.72
|
$1.71
CA$2.44
|
|
pay 43.4% more for groceries
|
Johannesburg
|
Toronto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.25
ZAR20.60
|
$2.74
CA$3.91
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.31
ZAR71.21
|
$4.56
CA$6.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.00
ZAR82.66
|
$9.44
CA$13.47
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.67
ZAR44.17
|
$3.54
CA$5.05
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.50
ZAR41.31
|
$5.16
CA$7.36
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.93
ZAR15.41
|
$1.68
CA$2.40
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.83
ZAR13.73
|
$0.54
CA$0.77
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.83
ZAR13.65
|
$1.59
CA$2.27
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
ZAR15.52
|
$1.95
CA$2.78
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.76
ZAR12.59
|
$0.82
CA$1.17
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.84
ZAR13.83
|
$0.73
CA$1.05
|
|
pay 5.0% less for transportation
|
Johannesburg
|
Toronto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.77
ZAR95.33
|
$4.68
CA$6.67
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.13
ZAR1,488.99
|
$109.41
CA$156.07
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$35,391.94
ZAR585K
|
$27,760.48
CA$39,598.93
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.05
ZAR133.02
|
$12.80
CA$18.26
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for housing
|
Johannesburg
|
Toronto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$35.90
ZAR593.03
|
$47.87
CA$68.28
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$498.84
ZAR8,240.91
|
$1,584.56
CA$2,260.29
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$425.42
ZAR7,028.03
|
$1,416.89
CA$2,021.12
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$174.98
ZAR2,890.63
|
$92.23
CA$131.56
|
|
pay 3.8 times more for childcare
|
Johannesburg
|
Toronto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$242.74
ZAR4,010.09
|
$824.14
CA$1,175.60
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,468.16
ZAR90,334.24
|
$23,500.21
CA$33,521.87
|
|
pay 78.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Johannesburg
|
Toronto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
ZAR37.22
|
$6.31
CA$9.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.44
ZAR40.34
|
$3.97
CA$5.66
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.30
ZAR54.60
|
$14.03
CA$20.01
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.60
ZAR604.68
|
$38.35
CA$54.70
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.81
ZAR129.05
|
$12.62
CA$18.01
|
|
pay 5.2% less for clothing
|
Johannesburg
|
Toronto
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.63
ZAR952.05
|
$51.64
CA$73.67
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$45.77
ZAR756.18
|
$39.51
CA$56.36
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$108.45
ZAR1,791.55
|
$98.10
CA$139.93
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.86
ZAR1,748.89
|
$122.24
CA$174.36
|
|
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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