Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Pretoria Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Pretoria

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,123 in Centurion versus $1,168 in Pretoria.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,852 in Centurion versus $1,765 in Pretoria.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,580 in Centurion versus $2,362 in Pretoria.

Living in Centurion costs roughly 4% less than in Pretoria, driven mainly by Getting Around.

Both cities sit below the global median: Centurion 16% lower, Pretoria 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.60 R 172

$8.38 R 136

26.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.15 R 553

$33.74 R 546

1.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.82 R 77.9

$4.63 R 74.9

4.10%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R 33.88

$2.10 R 33.94

-0.48%

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

$0.98 R 15.88

$1.05 R 17.04

-6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R 13.10

$0.88 R 14.23

-7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 R 37.27

$2.30 R 37.28

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R 40.46

$2.85 R 46.19

-12.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R 18.63

$1.19 R 19.31

-3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.26

$1.06 R 17.13

0.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 R 26.76

$1.62 R 26.17

1.85%

Eggs

$2.41 R 39.00

$2.39 R 38.74

0.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.14 R 132

$7.85 R 127

3.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 R 78.4

$4.55 R 73.7

6.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.72 R 109

$6.28 R 102

7.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.44

$1.64 R 26.55

-0.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.27

$1.62 R 26.15

-3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 R 26.63

$1.67 R 27.01

-1.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R 25.89

$1.68 R 27.23

-4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 R 21.43

$1.37 R 22.11

-3.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 R 22.38

$1.22 R 19.71

13.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 R 17.60

$1.09 R 17.70

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 R 17.19

$1.12 R 18.14

-5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.10 R 50.2

$2.86 R 46.33

8.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 R 97.4

$5.16 R 83.5

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 24.42

$1.51 R 24.37

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 R 27.75

$1.79 R 28.94

-4.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.18 R 35.34

$3.15 R 51.0

-30.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$91.2 R 1,476

$64.0 R 1,036

42.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.14 R 18.44

$1.43 R 23.18

-20.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 R 17.88

$1.37 R 22.24

-19.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.05 R 65.6

$3.16 R 51.2

28.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R 20.44

$1.27 R 20.50

-0.79%

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

$22.1K R 358.1K

$19.2K R 311.1K

15.09%

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

$24.0K R 388.4K

$25.6K R 415.2K

-6.44%

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

$119 R 1,934

$124 R 2,004

-3.49%

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

$37.11 R 601

$37.32 R 604

-0.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.50 R 688

$38.51 R 623

10.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.40 R 686

$31.89 R 516

32.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$0.95 R 15.42

$10.41 R 169

-90.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.42 R 120

$7.39 R 120

0.41%

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

$205 R 3,321

$197 R 3,181

4.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,265 R 69.0K

$4,311 R 69.8K

-1.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 R 827

$51.4 R 832

-0.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.58 R 527

$31.60 R 511

3.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.4 R 1,398

$86.3 R 1,397

0.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 R 1,415

$86.9 R 1,407

0.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 R 5,217

$397 R 6,422

-18.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 R 5,412

$389 R 6,288

-13.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 R 8,480

$723 R 11.7K

-27.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$806 R 13.0K

$747 R 12.1K

7.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$530 R 8,573

$910 R 14.7K

-41.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$597 R 9,666

$705 R 11.4K

-15.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,174 R 35.2K

$1,480 R 23.9K

46.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.69

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

Last update for Centurion: June 16, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: June 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $322 in Centurion and $397 in Pretoria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 47% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34.00 in Centurion vs $34.00 in Pretoria. Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $182, with Pretoria cheaper for home cooking.

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

Centurion vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion and Pretoria differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,123 vs $1,168 including rent). Centurion is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Centurion pays 47% more on average, 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: $322 in Centurion versus $397 in Pretoria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Centurion runs roughly 42% less than in Pretoria. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $205 in Centurion versus $197 in Pretoria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,123 in Centurion versus $1,168 in Pretoria, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Centurion but tight or insufficient in Pretoria. The gap between the two cities makes Centurion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Centurion delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,123 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Centurion and Pretoria are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Centurion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Pretoria. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.