Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Pretoria: $1,328 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,328 in Pretoria, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Pretoria $1,328

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,017 in Pretoria, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Pretoria $2,017

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,707 in Pretoria, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Pretoria $2,707

Cape Town costs about 19% more than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Pretoria is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$9.04 R 149

34.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$37.37 R 616

21.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.28 R 87.0

11.36%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.33 R 38.34

7.30%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.09 R 17.89

16.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.89 R 14.72

10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.58 R 42.58

15.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.24 R 53.5

14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.19 R 19.62

9.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.13 R 18.63

10.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.77 R 29.17

25.99%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.55 R 42.00

21.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.20 R 135

10.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.82 R 79.5

43.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$7.45 R 123

24.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.71 R 28.22

7.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.61 R 26.46

21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.78 R 29.30

-6.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.62 R 26.66

33.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.13 R 18.54

38.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.18 R 19.39

25.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.17 R 19.33

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.33 R 21.97

-15.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.18 R 52.4

13.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.01 R 82.6

22.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.59 R 26.28

-13.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.92 R 31.65

11.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$4.81 R 79.2

-68.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$176 R 2,893

-65.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.31 R 5.19

90.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.75 R 12.40

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$14.28 R 235

-64.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.52 R 25.03

1.97%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.1K R 578.0K

3.20%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$33.3K R 549.0K

-6.22%

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

$114 R 1,883

$152 R 2,505

-24.81%

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

$28.91 R 476

$36.95 R 609

-21.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$37.42 R 617

6.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$31.33 R 516

56.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$10.27 R 169

7.01%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.46 R 123

22.65%

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

$259 R 4,264

$261 R 4,300

-0.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,812 R 128.7K

-13.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$53.8 R 886

4.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$31.62 R 521

2.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$94.0 R 1,549

28.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$83.9 R 1,383

28.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$456 R 7,514

123.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$401 R 6,610

78.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$981 R 16.2K

85.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$749 R 12.3K

77.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$875 R 14.4K

173.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$692 R 11.4K

122.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,420 R 23.4K

15.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.34

-3.26%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Pretoria

$401 30.2% 44% $316

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Pretoria

$193 14.6% 14.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Pretoria

$226 17.1% 23.8% $43

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Pretoria

$143 10.8% 18.6% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Pretoria

$119 8.9% 17% $24

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Pretoria

$199 15% 166% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Pretoria

$46 3.5% 31.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $456 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 15% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $37.00 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $193 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

741,651 Capital

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Pretoria 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
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

Cape Town vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 19% more than Pretoria, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,992 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,328 in Pretoria. That's a gap of about 19%.

Public transport costs about 189% less in Pretoria. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pretoria, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Pretoria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pretoria costs $1,328 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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