Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benoni and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,067 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,067

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benoni 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 Benoni and in Pretoria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Benoni versus $1,279 in Pretoria.

Benoni $1,067
Pretoria $1,279

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,318 in Benoni versus $1,979 in Pretoria.

Benoni $1,318
Pretoria $1,979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,568 in Benoni versus $2,678 in Pretoria.

Benoni $1,568
Pretoria $2,678

Living in Benoni costs roughly 17% less than in Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Benoni 22% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.86 R 165

$9.28 R 155

6.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.05 R 619

$36.09 R 603

2.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 R 92.7

$5.20 R 87.0

6.73%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 36.21

$2.18 R 36.49

-0.46%

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

$1.14 R 19.02

$1.03 R 17.20

10.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 14.08

$0.85 R 14.12

-1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 39.54

$2.61 R 43.68

-9.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R 45.92

$3.24 R 54.1

-15.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 20.21

$1.17 R 19.53

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.66

$1.13 R 18.80

-0.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.83

$1.83 R 30.61

-2.19%

Eggs

$2.49 R 41.52

$2.40 R 40.06

3.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 R 137

$8.16 R 136

0.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 R 81.0

$4.97 R 83.0

-2.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 R 119

$7.38 R 123

-3.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.03

$1.70 R 28.44

2.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.73

$1.61 R 26.92

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.64

$1.77 R 29.63

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 26.14

$1.56 R 26.13

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.88

$1.12 R 18.69

-4.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R 19.60

$1.22 R 20.35

-4.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.33

$1.22 R 20.44

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.66

$1.27 R 21.21

2.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.9

$3.17 R 53.0

11.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 83.0

$4.94 R 82.6

0.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 25.27

$1.50 R 25.05

0.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R 33.13

$1.92 R 32.00

3.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 R 79.7

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,989

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.80

$0.29 R 4.83

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.56

$0.79 R 13.25

17.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.37 R 240

$14.24 R 238

0.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.61

$1.55 R 25.83

-1.29%

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

$35.4K R 592.0K

$35.0K R 584.6K

1.28%

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

$34.4K R 575.4K

$35.0K R 584.5K

-1.56%

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

$197 R 3,294

$148 R 2,480

32.82%

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

$39.26 R 656

$36.56 R 611

7.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.82 R 632

$36.12 R 603

4.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.81 R 298

$31.26 R 522

-43.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 176

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 R 119

$7.29 R 122

-1.92%

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

$246 R 4,108

$263 R 4,400

-6.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,379 R 89.9K

$7,829 R 130.8K

-31.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 870

0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.79 R 531

$31.93 R 533

-0.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 R 1,524

$91.8 R 1,534

-0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 R 1,376

$82.2 R 1,373

0.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 R 6,564

$450 R 7,518

-12.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 R 5,049

$359 R 6,003

-15.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 R 8,178

$1,040 R 17.4K

-52.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 11.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,000 R 33.4K

$1,386 R 23.2K

44.28%

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 Benoni: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benoni

$302 28.3%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 18.9% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benoni

$274 25.7%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 19.4% $53

Groceries & Markets

Benoni

$191 17.9%

Pretoria

$192 15% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Benoni

$147 13.8%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 2.5% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Benoni

$116 10.9%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Benoni

$32 3%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 42.7% $14

Getting Around

Benoni

$4.9 * 0.5%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 3994% $197

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $393 in Benoni and $450 in Pretoria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 44% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Benoni vs $36 in Pretoria. Groceries flip the comparison at $191 vs $192, with Benoni cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Benoni

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

03:34 3:34 AM

Same time as Benoni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,777

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benoni Pretoria 51 km

From you

Benoni
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

Benoni vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,067 in Benoni and $1,279 in Pretoria, so Benoni is about 17% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Benoni, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Benoni versus $450 in Pretoria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $246 in Benoni versus $263 in Pretoria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,067 per month in Benoni versus $1,279 in Pretoria – Benoni is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Benoni gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.