Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloemfontein and Vanderbijlpark

For one person, living costs are similar in Bloemfontein and in Vanderbijlpark: $1,069 and $1,036 a month, rent and utilities included.

52

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Vanderbijlpark
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Vanderbijlpark Living Index

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Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,069

/mo nomad

Vanderbijlpark

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,036

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bloemfontein and in Vanderbijlpark

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

A single person spends $1,069 per month in Bloemfontein vs $1,036 in Vanderbijlpark, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,069
Vanderbijlpark $1,036

A couple spends around $1,687 per month in Bloemfontein vs $1,610 in Vanderbijlpark, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,687
Vanderbijlpark $1,610

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Bloemfontein vs $2,184 in Vanderbijlpark, rent included.

Bloemfontein $2,305
Vanderbijlpark $2,184

Bloemfontein costs about 3% more than Vanderbijlpark, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bloemfontein and Vanderbijlpark are more affordable than the global median – Bloemfontein 21% lower, Vanderbijlpark 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.91 R 196

$7.17 R 118

66.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.16 R 678

$37.65 R 620

9.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 122

$5.53 R 91.1

34.00%

Cappuccino

$2.08 R 34.20

$2.23 R 36.77

-6.73%

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

$1.40 R 23.11

$1.05 R 17.38

33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.93

$0.88 R 14.42

23.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 R 41.78

$1.72 R 28.29

47.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 R 45.06

$2.37 R 39.09

15.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R 17.27

$1.15 R 19.00

-8.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.59

$1.08 R 17.82

-0.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.12

$1.77 R 29.16

20.34%

Eggs

$2.16 R 35.63

$2.55 R 42.01

-15.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 R 124

$6.79 R 112

10.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R 83.5

$4.27 R 70.4

18.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.91 R 130

$5.93 R 97.7

33.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.11

$1.73 R 28.45

9.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.84

$1.60 R 26.29

-1.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.45

$1.72 R 28.33

4.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$1.58 R 26.06

-1.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$1.13 R 18.57

41.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.51

$1.23 R 20.32

50.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.45

$1.17 R 19.20

-4.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.91

$1.28 R 21.06

-24.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 R 41.89

$3.09 R 50.9

-17.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 R 80.9

$4.29 R 70.6

14.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.81

$1.56 R 25.76

16.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.90

$1.99 R 32.77

-30.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R 15.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.1 R 1,253

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 R 17.56

$0.29 R 4.77

268.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 R 10.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.71 R 61.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.12

$1.51 R 24.91

-7.28%

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

$36.4K R 599.9K

$34.9K R 575.7K

4.22%

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

$28.5K R 469.8K

$33.6K R 553.1K

-15.06%

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

$77.8 R 1,281

$150 R 2,473

-48.19%

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

$32.29 R 532

$24.65 R 406

30.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 R 522

$36.79 R 606

-13.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 R 533

$32.86 R 541

-1.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.02 R 247

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 R 77.8

$5.98 R 98.5

-21.07%

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

$200 R 3,296

$119 R 1,960

68.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,506 R 24.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 R 1,003

$46.14 R 760

31.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 R 709

$32.82 R 541

31.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 R 2,220

$91.4 R 1,505

47.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,826

$76.2 R 1,256

45.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 R 5,139

$370 R 6,093

-15.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 R 4,717

$365 R 6,021

-21.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 R 8,459

$605 R 9,961

-15.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 R 8,954

$748 R 12.3K

-27.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$487 R 8,031

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$620 R 10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,287 R 21.2K

$1,953 R 32.2K

-34.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.13

10.27%

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

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 11, 2026

Last update for Vanderbijlpark: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bloemfontein

$286 26.8%

Vanderbijlpark

$365 35.3% 27.6% $79

Groceries & Markets

Bloemfontein

$190 17.8%

Vanderbijlpark

$178 17.2% 6.1% $12

Eating Out

Bloemfontein

$171 16%

Vanderbijlpark

$122 11.8% 28.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Bloemfontein

$157 14.7%

Vanderbijlpark

$111 10.7% 29.5% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloemfontein

$142 13.3%

Vanderbijlpark

$212 20.4% 49.2% $70

Getting Around

Bloemfontein

$81 * 7.6%

Vanderbijlpark

$3.6 * 0.3% 95.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Bloemfontein

$42 3.9%

Vanderbijlpark

$45 4.3% 7.3% $3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Bloemfontein versus $370 in Vanderbijlpark. 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 52% higher in Vanderbijlpark, 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 $41.00 in Bloemfontein versus $38.00 in Vanderbijlpark. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $178 – making Vanderbijlpark the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 Vanderbijlpark

🕒 Local time

20:57 8:57 PM

Same time as Bloemfontein

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000 Capital

95,840

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Bloemfontein Vanderbijlpark 310 km

From you

Bloemfontein
Vanderbijlpark

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

Bloemfontein vs Vanderbijlpark: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bloemfontein costs about 3% more than Vanderbijlpark, 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 $1,603 per month in Bloemfontein and $1,555 in Vanderbijlpark. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vanderbijlpark, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bloemfontein and $38.00 in Vanderbijlpark. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Bloemfontein, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Vanderbijlpark, where all-in costs run around $1,036, than in Bloemfontein at $1,069. In Vanderbijlpark it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bloemfontein it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Vanderbijlpark. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bloemfontein makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.