Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grahamstown and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Grahamstown: $1,120 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Grahamstown
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Grahamstown Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Grahamstown

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,120 in Grahamstown versus $1,278 in Pretoria.

Grahamstown $1,120
Pretoria $1,278

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,775 in Grahamstown versus $1,980 in Pretoria.

Grahamstown $1,775
Pretoria $1,980

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,430 in Grahamstown versus $2,683 in Pretoria.

Grahamstown $2,430
Pretoria $2,683

Living in Grahamstown costs roughly 12% less than in Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Grahamstown 17% lower, Pretoria 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.93 R 181

$8.90 R 148

22.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.85 R 694

$36.92 R 613

13.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 R 100

$5.30 R 87.9

13.96%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 36.04

$2.29 R 38.03

-5.24%

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

$1.05 R 17.38

$1.06 R 17.60

-0.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.92

$0.86 R 14.20

-16.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 R 45.59

$2.34 R 38.80

17.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 R 51.4

$3.42 R 56.7

-9.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.46

$1.13 R 18.81

3.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.60

$1.14 R 18.88

-12.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.64

$1.83 R 30.37

-18.58%

Eggs

$2.72 R 45.16

$2.41 R 40.05

12.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 R 141

$8.44 R 140

0.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.34 R 88.7

$5.00 R 83.0

6.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.25 R 137

$7.41 R 123

11.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 R 35.76

$1.79 R 29.75

20.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.20

$1.68 R 27.90

-9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.06

$1.78 R 29.51

-8.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.63

$1.58 R 26.23

13.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.89

$1.08 R 17.89

55.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.80

$1.18 R 19.59

16.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.30

$1.18 R 19.54

3.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R 16.76

$1.29 R 21.34

-21.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 R 54.0

$3.27 R 54.3

-0.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 78.7

$5.17 R 85.8

-8.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.07

$1.55 R 25.75

-18.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 R 29.73

$1.88 R 31.17

-4.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.73

$4.59 R 76.2

-67.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 3,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 R 14.12

$0.31 R 5.16

174.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.64

$0.79 R 13.12

-41.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.54 R 142

$14.73 R 244

-42.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.53 R 25.37

-2.61%

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

$34.6K R 574.4K

$35.7K R 592.8K

-3.10%

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

$35.2K R 584.7K

$35.1K R 582.4K

0.40%

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

$121 R 2,004

$150 R 2,487

-19.41%

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

$34.27 R 569

$36.66 R 608

-6.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.91 R 745

$36.73 R 609

22.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.56 R 590

$31.99 R 531

11.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.03 R 183

$10.29 R 171

7.19%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 R 174

$7.07 R 117

48.23%

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

$175 R 2,911

$261 R 4,329

-32.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,021 R 83.3K

$15.0K R 248.5K

-66.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 R 1,181

$52.6 R 872

35.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 R 646

$32.65 R 542

19.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,841

$92.1 R 1,527

20.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 R 1,623

$83.1 R 1,378

17.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R 6,548

$451 R 7,474

-12.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 R 5,918

$353 R 5,856

1.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 R 12.3K

$1,023 R 17.0K

-27.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.3K

$727 R 12.1K

2.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$727 R 12.1K

$875 R 14.5K

-16.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$741 R 12.3K

$652 R 10.8K

13.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 R 20.0K

$1,397 R 23.2K

-13.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

11.34

5.29%

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

Last update for Grahamstown: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grahamstown

$357 31.9%

Pretoria

$353 27.6% 1% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grahamstown

$200 17.9%

Pretoria

$223 17.5% 11.6% $23

Groceries & Markets

Grahamstown

$195 17.4%

Pretoria

$194 15.2% 0.6% $1.2

Eating Out

Grahamstown

$159 14.2%

Pretoria

$141 11% 11.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Grahamstown

$144 12.8%

Pretoria

$117 9.2% 18.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Grahamstown

$57 5.1%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 18.4% $10

Getting Around

Grahamstown

$9.1 * 0.8%

Pretoria

$204 16% 2139% $195

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 $395 in Grahamstown and $451 in Pretoria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pretoria pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Grahamstown vs $37 in Pretoria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $194 per month, with Pretoria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Grahamstown

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

Same time as Grahamstown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,264

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Grahamstown Pretoria 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Grahamstown
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

Grahamstown vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grahamstown wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Pretoria. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Grahamstown the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Grahamstown. 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: $395 in Grahamstown versus $451 in Pretoria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,120 per month in Grahamstown versus $1,278 in Pretoria – Grahamstown is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Pretoria – a meal for two runs $37 versus $42 in Grahamstown. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Grahamstown is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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