South Africa, Johannesburg Cost of Living January 2010

LOCATION: South Africa is in Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa.

EXECUTIVE CAPITAL CITY: Pretoria

LEGISLATIVE CAPITAL CITY: Cape Town

JUDICIAL CAPITAL CITY: Bloemfontein

LARGEST CITY: Johannesburg

CURRENCY: South African Rand (ZAR)

ECONOMY: South Africa has a middle-income developing economy with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a stock exchange that ranks among the top twenty in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. Johannesburg is the economic and financial hub of South Africa, producing 16% of South Africa's gross domestic product, and accounts for 40% of Gauteng's economic activity. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa. The city is one of the 40 largest metropolitan areas in the world.

Johannesburg has an overall cost of living index which equates it with low cost of living locations. The overall cost of living index is comprised of the prices for defined quantities of the same goods and services across all 13 Basket Groups. Johannesburg is currently ranked 211 overall, most expensive place in the world for expatriates to live, out of 276 international locations. The cost of living overview for each of the 13 Basket Groups is as follows:

Alcohol & Tobacco costs for alcoholic beverages such as alcohol at bar, beer, locally produced spirit, whiskey, and wine as well as tobacco products such as cigarettes is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 240 out of 276.

Clothing costs for clothing and footwear products such as business suits, casual clothing, childrens clothing and footwear, coats and hats, evening wear, shoe repairs, and underwear is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 155 out of 276.

Communication costs for various communication costs such as home telephone rental and call charges, internet connection and service provider fees, mobile / cellular phone contract and calls is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 223 out of 276.

Education costs such as creche / pre-school fees, high school / college fees, primary school fees, and tertiary study fees is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 116 out of 276.

Furniture & Appliance costs for furniture, household equipment and household appliances such as dvd player, fridge freezer, iron, kettle, toaster, microwave, light bulbs, television, vacuum cleaner, and washing machine is relatively more expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 72 out of 276.

Grocery costs for food, non-alcoholic beverages and cleaning material items such as baby consumables, baked goods, baking, canned foods, cheese, cleaning products, dairy, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fruit juices, meat, oil & vinegars, pet food, pre-prepared meals, sauces, seafood, snacks, soft drinks, spices & herbs is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 236 out of 276.

Healthcare costs for general healthcare, medical and medical insurance such as general practitioner consultation rates, hospital private ward daily rate, non-prescription medicine, and private medical insurance / medical aid contributions is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 226 out of 276.

Household costs for housing, water, electricity, household gas, household fuels, local rates and residential taxes such as house / flat mortgage, house / flat rental, household electricity consumption, household gas / fuel consumption, household water consumption, and local property rates / taxes / levies is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 151 out of 276.

Miscellaneous costs related to stationary, linen and general goods and services such as domestic help, dry cleaning, linen, office supplies, newspapers and magazines, and postage stamps is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 154 out of 276.

Personal Care costs for personal care products and services such as cosmetics, hair care, moisturizer / sun block, nappies, pain relief tablets, toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap / shampoo / conditioner is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 224 out of 276.

Recreation and Culture costs such as books, camera film, cinema ticket, DVD and CDs, sports goods, and theatre tickets is equally expensive on average compared to other cities with a rank of 131 out of 276.

Restaurants, Meals Out and Hotel costs such as business dinner, dinner at a restaurant (non fast food), hotel rates, take away drinks and snacks (fast food) is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 231 out of 276.

Transport costs for public transport, vehicle costs, vehicle fuel, vehicle insurance and vehicle maintenance such as hire purchase / lease of vehicle, petrol / diesel, public transport service maintenance, tires, vehicle Insurance, and vehicle purchase is relatively less expensive compared to other cities with a rank of 232 out of 276.

Your exact customized cost of living index for Johannesburg is based on which of the above basket groups as well as the comparison location you select in the Calculators.

In terms of the hardship people are likely to experience, assessed in global terms, Johannesburg is ranked as a some hardship location with a hardship index of 20%.

Your exact customized hardship index premium for Johannesburg is based on the comparison location that you select in the Calculators.