Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between East London and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $992 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $992 per month in East London vs $1,279 in Pretoria, rent included.

East London $992
Pretoria $1,279

A couple spends around $1,611 per month in East London vs $1,979 in Pretoria, rent included.

East London $1,611
Pretoria $1,979

A family of three spends $2,230 per month in East London vs $2,678 in Pretoria, rent included.

East London $2,230
Pretoria $2,678

East London is about 22% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both East London and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – East London 27% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 R 151

$9.28 R 154

-1.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.23 R 635

$36.09 R 599

5.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.57 R 92.5

$5.20 R 86.4

7.12%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 34.01

$2.18 R 36.26

-5.96%

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

$1.04 R 17.30

$1.03 R 17.10

0.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.68

$0.85 R 14.03

-10.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.62

$2.61 R 43.42

3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 R 53.3

$3.24 R 53.8

-0.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.67

$1.17 R 19.41

0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 R 14.51

$1.13 R 18.69

-23.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.94

$1.83 R 30.42

-21.31%

Eggs

$2.27 R 37.75

$2.40 R 39.81

-5.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.37 R 139

$8.16 R 136

2.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 R 91.2

$4.97 R 82.5

10.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 R 111

$7.38 R 123

-9.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.26

$1.70 R 28.27

-14.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.39

$1.61 R 26.75

-4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.12

$1.77 R 29.45

-7.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.81

$1.56 R 25.97

-8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.84

$1.12 R 18.58

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.69

$1.22 R 20.22

17.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.45

$1.22 R 20.32

-4.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.79

$1.27 R 21.08

-25.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.89 R 47.99

$3.17 R 52.7

-8.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.70 R 78.0

$4.94 R 82.1

-4.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.76

$1.50 R 24.89

-20.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.35

$1.92 R 31.81

-48.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 R 24.48

$4.77 R 79.2

-69.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.85 R 778

$179 R 2,971

-73.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.27

$0.29 R 4.80

320.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.58

$0.79 R 13.17

-41.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 R 139

$14.24 R 236

-41.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 R 22.41

$1.55 R 25.67

-12.90%

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

$34.7K R 575.7K

$35.0K R 581.0K

-0.91%

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

$29.3K R 486.3K

$35.0K R 580.9K

-16.30%

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

$122 R 2,030

$148 R 2,465

-17.62%

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

$32.64 R 542

$36.56 R 607

-10.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.35 R 736

$36.12 R 600

22.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.51 R 656

$31.26 R 519

26.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 175

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 R 75.4

$7.29 R 121

-37.72%

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

$177 R 2,941

$263 R 4,373

-32.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,438 R 90.3K

$7,829 R 130.0K

-30.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 R 944

$52.1 R 865

9.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.80 R 545

$31.93 R 530

2.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 R 1,213

$91.8 R 1,525

-20.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.2 R 1,580

$82.2 R 1,364

15.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,822

$450 R 7,472

-35.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 R 4,161

$359 R 5,967

-30.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R 9,011

$1,040 R 17.3K

-47.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 R 10.5K

$735 R 12.2K

-13.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 11.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,664 R 27.6K

$1,386 R 23.0K

20.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

-3.00%

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

Last update for East London: October 24, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

East London

$251 25.3%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 43.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

East London

$199 20.1%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 11% $22

Groceries & Markets

East London

$180 18.1%

Pretoria

$192 15% 6.6% $12

Eating Out

East London

$141 14.2%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 1.4% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

East London

$116 11.7%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

East London

$56 5.7%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 260% $146

Sport & Entertainment

East London

$49 4.9%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 5.7% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in East London versus $450 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 20% higher in East London, 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 $38 in East London versus $36 in Pretoria. Groceries tell a different story – $180 in East London vs $192 in Pretoria – so East London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 East London

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

Same time as East London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

267,007

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

East London Pretoria 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

East London
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

East London vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $992 in East London, $1,279 in Pretoria – East London comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,487 per month in East London and $1,919 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

Kindergarten costs $177 per month in East London and $263 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Pretoria, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Pretoria at $1,279. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pretoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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