Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alexandra, South Africa and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandra: $1,054 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Alexandra
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Alexandra Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Alexandra

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,054

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alexandra and in Pretoria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alexandra and in Pretoria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,054 per month in Alexandra vs $1,278 in Pretoria, rent included.

Alexandra $1,054
Pretoria $1,278

A couple spends around $1,664 per month in Alexandra vs $1,980 in Pretoria, rent included.

Alexandra $1,664
Pretoria $1,980

A family of three spends $2,275 per month in Alexandra vs $2,683 in Pretoria, rent included.

Alexandra $2,275
Pretoria $2,683

Alexandra is about 18% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Alexandra and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Alexandra 22% lower, Pretoria 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.05 R 148

$8.90 R 146

1.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.95 R 589

$36.92 R 605

-2.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 R 87.0

$5.30 R 86.8

0.19%

Cappuccino

$2.20 R 36.06

$2.29 R 37.55

-3.93%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 R 17.38

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.86

$0.86 R 14.02

-9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.12

$2.34 R 38.31

4.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 R 43.44

$3.42 R 56.0

-22.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.26

$1.13 R 18.57

4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 17.95

$1.14 R 18.64

-3.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.03

$1.83 R 30.00

-6.56%

Eggs

$2.53 R 41.41

$2.41 R 39.55

4.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.25 R 135

$8.44 R 138

-2.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 R 84.8

$5.00 R 82.0

3.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 R 119

$7.41 R 121

-1.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.13

$1.79 R 29.37

2.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.30

$1.68 R 27.55

-0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.24

$1.78 R 29.14

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.01

$1.58 R 25.90

0.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.64

$1.08 R 17.67

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R 19.44

$1.18 R 19.35

0.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.17

$1.18 R 19.29

4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.33

$1.29 R 21.07

0.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 R 54.2

$3.27 R 53.6

1.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.19 R 85.1

$5.17 R 84.8

0.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 24.74

$1.55 R 25.42

-2.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R 31.12

$1.88 R 30.78

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 R 29.44

$4.59 R 75.2

-60.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,971

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.11

$0.31 R 5.10

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.23

$0.79 R 12.96

-5.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.54 R 238

$14.73 R 241

-1.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 24.77

$1.53 R 25.06

-1.31%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K R 586.2K

$35.7K R 585.4K

0.14%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.0K R 556.5K

$35.1K R 575.1K

-3.23%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$150 R 2,454

$150 R 2,456

-0.07%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$37.20 R 610

$36.66 R 601

1.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.55 R 599

$36.73 R 602

-0.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 R 546

$31.99 R 524

4.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.56 R 189

$10.29 R 169

12.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 R 122

$7.07 R 116

4.95%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$243 R 3,981

$261 R 4,275

-6.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,039 R 98.9K

$15.0K R 245.4K

-59.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 R 866

$52.6 R 862

0.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.89 R 522

$32.65 R 535

-2.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 R 1,530

$92.1 R 1,508

1.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 R 1,340

$83.1 R 1,361

-1.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$439 R 7,193

$451 R 7,381

-2.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 R 5,241

$353 R 5,783

-9.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 R 10.2K

$1,023 R 16.8K

-38.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 R 11.6K

$727 R 11.9K

-2.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$678 R 11.1K

$875 R 14.3K

-22.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$747 R 12.2K

$652 R 10.7K

14.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,770 R 29.0K

$1,397 R 22.9K

26.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.34

-3.79%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alexandra: November 3, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alexandra

$320 30.4%

Pretoria

$353 27.6% 10.4% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alexandra

$224 21.2%

Pretoria

$223 17.5% 0.1% $0.3

Groceries & Markets

Alexandra

$194 18.4%

Pretoria

$194 15.2% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Alexandra

$140 13.3%

Pretoria

$141 11% 0.8% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Alexandra

$117 11.1%

Pretoria

$117 9.2% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Alexandra

$48 4.6%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 4.2% $2

Getting Around

Alexandra

$11 * 1.1%

Pretoria

$204 16% 1716% $193

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $439 in Alexandra versus $451 in Pretoria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 27% higher in Alexandra, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Alexandra versus $37 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $194 – making Alexandra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Alexandra

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

19:40 7:40 PM

Same time as Alexandra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

179,624

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alexandra Pretoria 41 km

From you

Alexandra
Pretoria

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alexandra vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pretoria costs about 21% more than Alexandra, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,581 per month in Alexandra and $1,917 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $439 in Alexandra and $451 in Pretoria. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,054 in Alexandra and $1,278 in Pretoria. That makes Alexandra about 18% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Alexandra and $37 in Pretoria. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,054 in Alexandra and $1,278 in Pretoria. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Alexandra – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.