ZA flag
Johannesburg

South Africa

vs
ZA flag
Upington

South Africa

Climate

Johannesburg logs 6 frost days a year to Upington's 2 — Upington wins by 4. Johannesburg also leads on hot days by 172.

JohannesburgUpington
Sunny days
305345
Hot days
14186
Frost days
62
Rainy days
10518
Outdoor dinner months
6/128/12
Avg wind
2.9 m/s3.6 m/s
Sunshine hours
3,1043,639
Darkest month sun
226 hrs/mo238 hrs/mo
UV peak month
11.613.4

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

Upington

Feels-like °C

34
32
29
24
17
11
10
14
21
27
29
32

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; Upington has no cost baseline yet.

Johannesburg

$1,363

monthly · balanced

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

Upington

monthly · balanced

Mobility

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

2.2/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgUpington
FlightsAirport

Culture

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

3.6/5
vs
0.0/5
JohannesburgUpington
ArtsHistoryTheatreVenuesNightlife
Johannesburg leads

Nature & Outdoors

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

3.5/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgUpington
MountainsForestGreen AreasLakesRunningHikingCampingClimbing

Safety

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

1.2/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgUpington
Street SafetyProperty CrimeRoadWildfire

Career

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

4.1/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgUpington
JobsEconomyStartupsCoworking

Social & Community

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

3.4/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgUpington
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); Upington has no food & dining baseline.

3.8/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgUpington
RestaurantsBrunchVeganDelivery

Family

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

3.7/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgUpington
Intl SchoolsUniversitiesAmenitiesSportGroceriesGymYogaSpaTennis

Healthcare

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

3.4/5
vs
/5
JohannesburgUpington
Private Healthcare

Air Quality

Johannesburg averages 37.0 µg/m³ (very unhealthy) PM2.5 annually versus Upington's 12.7 µg/m³ (moderate) — Upington breathes ~66% cleaner air (24.3 µg/m³ lower).

Johannesburg

Upington

37.0µg/m³
12.7µg/m³

PM2.5 annual average

Very Unhealthy
Moderate

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 Upington (74K) are 116x in population — Johannesburg is the larger metro, Upington the smaller; on land area Johannesburg spans roughly 73x more ground.

92x

Johannesburg is roughly 92x the scale of Upington

Combined population & area comparison

ZA flagJohannesburg
92x
ZA flagUpington
1x

City Scale Rankings

Population
1.ZA flagJohannesburg8.6M116x
2.ZA flagUpington74K1x
Area
1.ZA flagJohannesburg1,756 km²73x
2.ZA flagUpington24 km²1x
© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
62 km55 km

ZA flagJohannesburg

© Stadia Maps, © OpenMapTiles, © OpenStreetMap contributors
8.4 km4.7 km

ZA flagUpington

Who Thrives Here

Frequently asked about Johannesburg vs Upington

Which is cheaper, Johannesburg or Upington?
Johannesburg has an estimated monthly cost of $1,363.
How does the climate compare between Johannesburg and Upington?
Sunny days: 305 vs 345 d — Upington higher Annual sunshine: 3,104 vs 3,639 hrs — Upington higher Winter sunshine: 226 vs 238 hrs/day — Similar Hot days (>30°C): 14 vs 186 d — Johannesburg lower Frost days: 6 vs 2 d — Similar Rainy days: 105 vs 18 d — Upington lower
Is Johannesburg or Upington safer?
Johannesburg has a safety score of 1.2/5.
Should I move to Johannesburg or Upington?
Johannesburg and Upington 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 Upington 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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