Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boksburg and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Boksburg: $1,220 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $700 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
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Boksburg Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,220

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,220 in Boksburg versus $1,278 in Pretoria.

Boksburg $1,220
Pretoria $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,894 in Boksburg versus $1,980 in Pretoria.

Boksburg $1,894
Pretoria $1,980

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,568 in Boksburg versus $2,683 in Pretoria.

Boksburg $2,568
Pretoria $2,683

Living in Boksburg costs roughly 5% less than in Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Boksburg 10% lower, Pretoria 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.10 R 198

$8.90 R 146

35.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.93 R 752

$36.92 R 605

24.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.15 R 84.4

$5.30 R 86.8

-2.83%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R 37.62

$2.29 R 37.55

0.44%

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

$1.08 R 17.62

$1.06 R 17.38

1.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.77

$0.86 R 14.02

-9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 R 40.66

$2.34 R 38.31

5.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R 45.03

$3.42 R 56.0

-19.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 R 22.35

$1.13 R 18.57

20.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 R 19.06

$1.14 R 18.64

1.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.44

$1.83 R 30.00

-1.64%

Eggs

$2.64 R 43.31

$2.41 R 39.55

9.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.02 R 148

$8.44 R 138

6.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 R 85.3

$5.00 R 82.0

4.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 R 146

$7.41 R 121

20.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.07

$1.79 R 29.37

-1.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.32

$1.68 R 27.55

-0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.40

$1.78 R 29.14

0.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.41

$1.58 R 25.90

13.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.12

$1.08 R 17.67

59.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.35

$1.18 R 19.35

46.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.09

$1.18 R 19.29

4.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.79

$1.29 R 21.07

3.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.28 R 53.8

$3.27 R 53.6

0.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.87 R 96.2

$5.17 R 84.8

13.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 R 25.65

$1.55 R 25.42

1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.19

$1.88 R 30.78

4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 75.2

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,971

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.13

$0.31 R 5.10

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.26

$0.79 R 12.96

-5.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.20 R 233

$14.73 R 241

-3.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 R 25.64

$1.53 R 25.06

1.96%

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

$35.7K R 585.2K

$35.7K R 585.4K

-0.03%

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

$34.1K R 558.0K

$35.1K R 575.1K

-2.97%

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

$223 R 3,659

$150 R 2,456

48.98%

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

$39.07 R 640

$36.66 R 601

6.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.88 R 621

$36.73 R 602

3.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.33 R 464

$31.99 R 524

-11.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 169

Cinema Ticket

$8.23 R 135

$7.07 R 116

16.41%

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

$246 R 4,025

$261 R 4,275

-5.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,503 R 122.9K

$15.0K R 245.4K

-49.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 R 878

$52.6 R 862

1.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.45 R 745

$32.65 R 535

39.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,673

$92.1 R 1,508

10.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 R 1,847

$83.1 R 1,361

35.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$320 R 5,237

$451 R 7,381

-29.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 R 5,792

$353 R 5,783

0.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 R 10.8K

$1,023 R 16.8K

-35.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$760 R 12.5K

$727 R 11.9K

4.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$880 R 14.4K

$1,397 R 22.9K

-37.06%

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 Boksburg: November 2, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boksburg

$354 29%

Pretoria

$353 27.6% 0.2% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boksburg

$300 24.6%

Pretoria

$223 17.5% 25.6% $77

Groceries & Markets

Boksburg

$211 17.3%

Pretoria

$194 15.2% 8% $17

Eating Out

Boksburg

$165 13.5%

Pretoria

$141 11% 14.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Boksburg

$141 11.6%

Pretoria

$117 9.2% 17.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Boksburg

$45 3.7%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 3% $1.3

Getting Around

Boksburg

$4.1 * 0.3%

Pretoria

$204 16% 4936% $200

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 $320 in Boksburg and $451 in Pretoria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pretoria pays 59% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Boksburg vs $37 in Pretoria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $194 per month, with Pretoria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

Same time as Boksburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

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

Boksburg Pretoria 52 km

From you

Boksburg
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

Boksburg vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,220 in Boksburg and $1,278 in Pretoria, so Boksburg is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Boksburg. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $320 in Boksburg versus $451 in Pretoria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Pretoria pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,220 per month in Boksburg versus $1,278 in Pretoria – Boksburg is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Boksburg 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.

It comes down to priorities – Boksburg wins on affordability, Pretoria on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.