Cost of living comparison

compared to

Johannesburg vs. Sao Paulo Cost of Living Summary

Johannesburg is 0.1% more expensive than Sao Paulo.

Restaurants
pay 4.4% more in Johannesburg
Groceries
pay 1.9% less in Johannesburg
Transportation
pay 36.5% more in Johannesburg
Housing
pay 3.7% more in Johannesburg
Childcare
pay 60.8% less in Johannesburg
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.5% less in Johannesburg
Clothing
pay 4.6% less in Johannesburg

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

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Johannesburg vs. Sao Paulo Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Johannesburg instead of Sao Paulo, you would:

pay 4.4% more for restaurants

 
Sao Paulo
Johannesburg
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.96
R$44.68
$12.02
ZAR198.53
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $8.96
R$44.68
$7.21
ZAR119.12
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.40
R$6.99
$1.20
ZAR19.78
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pay 1.9% less for groceries

 
Sao Paulo
Johannesburg
Bread
1 loaf
 $1.85
R$9.25
$1.25
ZAR20.60
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.20
R$30.95
$4.31
ZAR71.21
Milk (1 gallon) $4.62
R$23.06
$5.00
ZAR82.66
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pay 36.5% more for transportation

 
Sao Paulo
Johannesburg
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.91
R$24.47
$5.77
ZAR95.33
Monthly public transit pass $48.37
R$241.23
$90.13
ZAR1,488.99
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $23,890.58
R$119K
$35,391.94
ZAR585K
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pay 3.7% more for housing

 
Sao Paulo
Johannesburg
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $22.16
R$110.51
$35.90
ZAR593.03
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $656.54
R$3,274.32
$498.84
ZAR8,240.91
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $419.66
R$2,092.93
$425.42
ZAR7,028.03
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pay 60.8% less for childcare

 
Sao Paulo
Johannesburg
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $530.90
R$2,647.74
$242.74
ZAR4,010.09
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $16,300.72
R$81,295.79
$5,468.16
ZAR90,334.24
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pay 10.5% less for entertainment and sports

 
Sao Paulo
Johannesburg
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.99
R$14.89
$2.25
ZAR37.22
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.56
R$12.75
$2.44
ZAR40.34
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $2.99
R$14.89
$3.30
ZAR54.60
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pay 4.6% less for clothing

 
Sao Paulo
Johannesburg
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $65.57
R$327.02
$57.63
ZAR952.05
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $61.53
R$306.86
$45.77
ZAR756.18
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $99.31
R$495.29
$108.45
ZAR1,791.55
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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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