ZA flag
Johannesburg

South Africa

vs
ZA flag
Port Elizabeth

South Africa

Climate

Johannesburg logs 305 sunny days a year to Port Elizabeth's 275 — Johannesburg wins by 30. Johannesburg also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 6.

JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
Sunny days
305275
Hot days
140
Frost days
60
Rainy days
10591
Outdoor dinner months
6/120/12
Avg wind
2.9 m/s5.2 m/s
Sunshine hours
3,1042,876
Darkest month sun
226 hrs/mo206 hrs/mo
UV peak month
11.610.6

Johannesburg

Feels-like °C

25
25
23
18
16
10
9
13
20
22
23
24

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Port Elizabeth

Feels-like °C

23
23
22
18
15
13
9
10
13
17
20
21

Dinner outside

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

Cost of Living

Johannesburg averages $1,363/mo for balanced living; Port Elizabeth has no cost baseline yet.

Johannesburg

$1,363

monthly · balanced

Minimalist $1,011Comfort $2,256
Top 91%in Among 11 Africa cities

Port Elizabeth

monthly · balanced

Mobility

Johannesburg scores 2.2 on mobility (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no mobility baseline.

2.2/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
FlightsAirport

Culture

Johannesburg's culture score of 3.6 sits well above Port Elizabeth's 0.0.

3.6/5
vs
0.0/5
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Johannesburg leads

Nature & Outdoors

Johannesburg scores 3.5 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no nature & outdoors baseline.

3.5/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
MountainsForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingClimbing

Safety

Johannesburg scores 1.2 on safety (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no safety baseline.

1.2/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
Street SafetyProperty CrimeRoadWildfire

Career

Johannesburg scores 4.1 on career (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no career baseline.

4.1/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

Johannesburg scores 3.4 on social & community (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no social & community baseline.

3.4/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
Everyday EnglishExpat-First CommunityMulticultural MixExpat Integration ExperienceUrban EnergyStreet AtmosphereGovernment Immigration FriendlinessAdmin English Support

Food & Dining

Johannesburg scores 3.8 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no food & dining baseline.

3.8/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

Johannesburg scores 3.7 on family (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no family baseline.

3.7/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

Johannesburg scores 3.4 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no healthcare baseline.

3.4/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
Private Healthcare

Air Quality

Johannesburg averages 37.0 µg/m³ (very unhealthy) PM2.5 annually versus Port Elizabeth's 7.3 µg/m³ (good) — Port Elizabeth breathes ~80% cleaner air (29.7 µg/m³ lower).

Johannesburg

Port Elizabeth

37.0µg/m³
7.3µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Very Unhealthy
Good

WHO classification

City Scale

Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.

Johannesburg (8.6M) and Port Elizabeth (806K) are 11x in population — Johannesburg is the larger metro, Port Elizabeth the smaller; on land area Johannesburg spans roughly 8.1x more ground.

9.3x

Johannesburg is roughly 9.3x the scale of Port Elizabeth

Combined population & area comparison

ZA flagJohannesburg
9.3x
ZA flagPort Elizabeth
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.ZA flagJohannesburg8.6M11x
2.ZA flagPort Elizabeth806K1x
Area
1.ZA flagJohannesburg1,756 km²8.1x
2.ZA flagPort Elizabeth217 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
62 km55 km

ZA flagJohannesburg

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
19 km21 km

ZA flagPort Elizabeth

Who Thrives Here

Johannesburg favours the big city energy, while Port Elizabeth suits the clean air seeker. Both cities work well for the sunshine lover.

Thrives in both
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
Thrives only in Johannesburg
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
Thrives only in Port Elizabeth
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth
Struggles in both
JohannesburgPort Elizabeth

Frequently asked about Johannesburg vs Port Elizabeth

Which is cheaper, Johannesburg or Port Elizabeth?
Johannesburg has an estimated monthly cost of $1,363.
How does the climate compare between Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth?
Sunny days: 305 vs 275 d — Johannesburg higher Annual sunshine: 3,104 vs 2,876 hrs — Johannesburg higher Winter sunshine: 226 vs 206 hrs/day — Johannesburg higher Hot days (>30°C): 14 vs 0 d — Port Elizabeth lower Frost days: 6 vs 0 d — Port Elizabeth lower Rainy days: 105 vs 91 d — Port Elizabeth lower
Is Johannesburg or Port Elizabeth safer?
Johannesburg has a safety score of 1.2/5.
Should I move to Johannesburg or Port Elizabeth?
Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth are both popular relocation destinations with distinct characteristics. The best choice depends on your priorities — climate preferences, career opportunities, cost constraints, and lifestyle needs. Take the personalized quiz to find your ideal match, or explore the map to compare cities by region and lifestyle factors.

The best city depends on what matters to you

This comparison shows how Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth stack up on the data. But your climate preferences, budget, career needs, and lifestyle priorities can shift the picture entirely. A personalized diagnostic finds what fits your life.

Take the free diagnostic

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Johannesburg vs Port Elizabeth: Cost, Climate, Safety