Cost of living comparison

compared to

Johannesburg vs. Moscow Cost of Living Summary

Johannesburg is 23.3% cheaper than Moscow.

Restaurants
pay 0.2% less in Johannesburg
Groceries
pay 7.9% more in Johannesburg
Transportation
pay 40.9% more in Johannesburg
Housing
pay 44.5% less in Johannesburg
Childcare
pay 75.1% less in Johannesburg
Entertainment and Sports
pay 26.9% less in Johannesburg
Clothing
pay 35.7% less in Johannesburg

The cost of transportation and groceries in Johannesburg are more expensive than in Moscow. Expenses including childcare, housing, clothing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in Johannesburg.

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Johannesburg vs. Moscow Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Johannesburg instead of Moscow, you would:

pay 0.2% less for restaurants

 
Moscow
Johannesburg
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $11.70
RUB939.71
$12.02
ZAR199.18
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $7.02
RUB563.82
$7.21
ZAR119.51
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.62
RUB129.95
$1.20
ZAR19.85
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pay 7.9% more for groceries

 
Moscow
Johannesburg
Bread
1 loaf
 $1.02
RUB81.75
$1.25
ZAR20.66
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.14
RUB573.37
$4.31
ZAR71.44
Milk (1 gallon) $4.61
RUB370.58
$5.00
ZAR82.93
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pay 40.9% more for transportation

 
Moscow
Johannesburg
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.31
RUB266.01
$5.77
ZAR95.64
Monthly public transit pass $40.65
RUB3,265.48
$90.13
ZAR1,493.83
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $38,895.19
RUB3M
$35,391.94
ZAR587K
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pay 44.5% less for housing

 
Moscow
Johannesburg
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $9.88
RUB793.71
$35.90
ZAR594.96
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $1,454.91
RUB117K
$498.84
ZAR8,267.69
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $804.40
RUB64,618.54
$425.42
ZAR7,050.87
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pay 75.1% less for childcare

 
Moscow
Johannesburg
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $809.00
RUB64,988.02
$242.74
ZAR4,023.12
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $26,421.03
RUB2M
$5,468.16
ZAR90,627.77
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pay 26.9% less for entertainment and sports

 
Moscow
Johannesburg
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $4.68
RUB375.88
$2.25
ZAR37.35
Cappuccino in mid-range area $3.70
RUB297.16
$2.44
ZAR40.47
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $3.45
RUB277.21
$3.30
ZAR54.77
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pay 35.7% less for clothing

 
Moscow
Johannesburg
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $108.46
RUB8,713.17
$57.63
ZAR955.14
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $62.47
RUB5,018.03
$45.77
ZAR758.63
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $145.30
RUB11,672.48
$108.45
ZAR1,797.37
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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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