South Africa’s Most Expensive Cities Revealed, Johannesburg and Pretoria Take the Lead in Cost of Living

• Numbeo's Cost of Living Index has ranked Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town as the most expensive cities in South Africa
• The index ranks cities around the world in relation to the cost of living in New York City, based on a percentage score
• Neither of South Africa's top three most expensive cities rank closely to New York City as they all have mid-range scores

JOHANNESBURG - The Cost of Living Index has been published by Numbeo, which uses a percentage scale to compare how expensive the cost of living is in various cities worldwide, using New York City as a benchmark.

Numbeo's index takes different factors that contribute to a city's cost of living into consideration; including groceries, rent, and transport. Five South African cities were listed on the index as some of the most expensive places to live in the world.

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According to eNCA, Ana Nicholls from the Economist Intelligence Unit said that the cost of living has increased across South Africa in the past year.

How South Africa scored on the Cost of Living Index

Numbeo has named Pretoria the most expensive city in South Africa in terms of cost of living, with Johannesburg a close second and Cape Town coming in third place, BusinessTech reports.

While these cities are the most expensive in South Africa, globally they are in the middle range between 45 and 49%, placing them far below New York City. One of the cities which ranks above New York is Basel in Switzerland, which scored 129%.

The index revealed that India and Pakistan are two of the cheapest places to live, as they scored 80% lower than New York City.

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Reactions to the Cost of Living index

@Freddy13946129 believes:

"It cannot be the most expensive. That I believe belongs to Cape Town especially the price of properties and other factors."

@oesparadys said:

"SA in general became very expensive for middle and lower class citizens (electricity, fuel and food prices increased dramatically)."

@Pablo012GP shared:

"With a high crime rate too."

@GSF1250F said:

"I think more the suburbs.... Not the CBD."

@AsiaB2 asked:

"Is it more expensive than Cape Town?"

SA unimpressed with Mpho Phalatse's stance on non-paying Joburg residents

Previously, Briefly News reported that newly-elected mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse of the City of Johannesburg will not stand for residents who refuse to pay for their electricity.

In recent weeks, the residents of Diepkloof in Soweto have been protesting after Eskom shut off power from over 700 homes. Eskom argued that the decision was taken because residents had not been paying their electricity bills or purchasing electricity from ghost vendors.

Phalatse stated that no one has an excuse not to pay for their electricity and if they really cannot afford their electricity bills, they can apply for exemptions through the city’s Extended Social Package (ESP).

Source: Briefly News