Cape Town vs Johannesburg: Weather & Climate Compared
🇿🇦 Cape Town, South Africa · 🇿🇦 Johannesburg, South Africa
Warmer overall
Cape Town
Sunnier
Cape Town
More rainy days
Johannesburg
Cape Town vs Johannesburg weather right now
At this moment, Johannesburg is the warmer of the two by 6°F (3°C).
The short answer
Cape Town takes the temperature crown. Averaged over all twelve months it runs 63°F (17°C), about 1.4°F (0.8°C) above Johannesburg's 61°F (16°C).
Head to head
- Sunshine: Cape Town collects 10.7 hours of daily sun across the year; Johannesburg manages 10.7.
- Rain: umbrellas get more use in Johannesburg - about 86 wet days a year versus 78 in Cape Town.
- Peak heat: Cape Town tops out in January (79°F (26°C) highs); Johannesburg peaks in December (79°F (26°C)).
- Coldest nights: winter bottoms out at 50°F (10°C) in Cape Town (July) and 39°F (4°C) in Johannesburg (July).
Cape Town vs Johannesburg month by month
| Month | Cape Town high / low | Johannesburg high / low | Cape Town rain days | Johannesburg rain days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 79° / 64° | 78° / 58° | 3 | 14 |
| February | 78° / 63° | 77° / 58° | 2 | 13 |
| March | 75° / 61° | 76° / 56° | 4 | 9 |
| April | 72° / 58° | 71° / 51° | 5 | 8 |
| May | 67° / 54° | 68° / 45° | 7 | 2 |
| June | 63° / 51° | 63° / 40° | 11 | 1 |
| July | 62° / 50° | 63° / 39° | 10 | 0 |
| August | 62° / 50° | 70° / 44° | 10 | 1 |
| September | 64° / 52° | 76° / 50° | 8 | 3 |
| October | 70° / 56° | 79° / 53° | 6 | 7 |
| November | 72° / 58° | 79° / 56° | 5 | 11 |
| December | 75° / 61° | 79° / 59° | 5 | 16 |
Who's warmer, month by month?
The lead changes hands with the seasons: Cape Town is the warmer city for 4 months of the year (January through June broadly), while Johannesburg takes over for the remaining 8. The starkest contrast comes in September, when Johannesburg runs about 12°F (7°C) warmer; May is the great equalizer.
Cape Town vs Johannesburg: quick answers
Is Cape Town warmer than Johannesburg?
On the annual mean, Cape Town is the warmer city by roughly 1.4°F (0.8°C), though the margin shifts with the seasons.
Which city is sunnier, Cape Town or Johannesburg?
Cape Town, with 10.7 hours of average daily sunshine against 10.7 in Johannesburg.
Which city gets more rain?
Johannesburg is the wetter city, logging about 86 rain days annually to Cape Town's 78.
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