Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hillcrest and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,081 per month in Hillcrest vs $1,278 in Pretoria, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,081
Pretoria $1,278

A couple spends around $1,686 per month in Hillcrest vs $1,980 in Pretoria, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,686
Pretoria $1,980

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Hillcrest vs $2,683 in Pretoria, rent included.

Hillcrest $2,292
Pretoria $2,683

Hillcrest is about 15% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hillcrest and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Hillcrest 20% lower, Pretoria 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 R 129

$8.90 R 146

-11.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.34 R 629

$36.92 R 606

3.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.01 R 98.6

$5.30 R 86.9

13.40%

Cappuccino

$2.71 R 44.53

$2.29 R 37.61

18.34%

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

$1.14 R 18.70

$1.06 R 17.41

7.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.71

$0.86 R 14.04

4.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.23

$2.34 R 38.37

4.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R 41.05

$3.42 R 56.1

-26.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.28

$1.13 R 18.60

4.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.13

$1.14 R 18.67

-14.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.59

$1.83 R 30.04

-18.03%

Eggs

$2.32 R 38.10

$2.41 R 39.61

-3.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R 134

$8.44 R 138

-2.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 R 82.8

$5.00 R 82.1

1.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 R 119

$7.41 R 122

-1.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 R 21.22

$1.79 R 29.42

-27.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.60

$1.68 R 27.59

14.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.93

$1.78 R 29.18

9.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.43

$1.58 R 25.94

9.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.99

$1.08 R 17.69

35.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.67

$1.18 R 19.38

22.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.77

$1.18 R 19.32

2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.71

$1.29 R 21.10

-11.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 60.8

$3.27 R 53.7

13.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 78.7

$5.17 R 84.9

-7.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.10

$1.55 R 25.46

-9.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.19

$1.88 R 30.83

4.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.19

$4.59 R 75.3

-66.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,975

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.14

$0.31 R 5.10

41.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.61

$0.79 R 12.97

-10.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 R 126

$14.73 R 242

-47.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.84

$1.53 R 25.09

-5.23%

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

$35.2K R 577.7K

$35.7K R 586.2K

-1.46%

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

$33.1K R 542.3K

$35.1K R 575.9K

-5.83%

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

$153 R 2,511

$150 R 2,459

2.09%

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

$35.61 R 584

$36.66 R 601

-2.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.04 R 641

$36.73 R 603

6.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 R 541

$31.99 R 525

3.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.55 R 222

$10.29 R 169

31.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 120

$7.07 R 116

3.11%

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

$310 R 5,092

$261 R 4,281

18.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 R 121.9K

$15.0K R 245.7K

-50.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 R 846

$52.6 R 863

-1.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.96 R 459

$32.65 R 536

-14.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 R 1,591

$92.1 R 1,510

5.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 R 1,299

$83.1 R 1,363

-4.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 R 6,179

$451 R 7,392

-16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,785

$353 R 5,791

-0.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R 10.5K

$1,023 R 16.8K

-37.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.0K

$727 R 11.9K

0.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.5K

$875 R 14.4K

-12.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,430

$652 R 10.7K

-11.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 22.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

11.34

3.88%

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

Last update for Hillcrest: 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

Hillcrest

$353 32.6%

Pretoria

$353 27.6% 0.1% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hillcrest

$228 21.1%

Pretoria

$223 17.5% 1.9% $4.4

Groceries & Markets

Hillcrest

$189 17.5%

Pretoria

$194 15.2% 2.5% $4.7

Eating Out

Hillcrest

$139 12.9%

Pretoria

$141 11% 1.3% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Hillcrest

$115 10.6%

Pretoria

$117 9.2% 1.8% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Hillcrest

$48 4.4%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 3% $1.4

Getting Around

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9%

Pretoria

$204 16% 1917% $194

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Hillcrest versus $451 in Pretoria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest versus $37 in Pretoria. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Hillcrest vs $194 in Pretoria – so Hillcrest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

Same time as Hillcrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hillcrest Pretoria 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hillcrest
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

Hillcrest vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,081 in Hillcrest, $1,278 in Pretoria – Hillcrest comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,622 per month in Hillcrest and $1,917 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $451 in Pretoria.

Kindergarten costs $310 per month in Hillcrest and $261 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,081 in Hillcrest and $1,278 in Pretoria. That makes Hillcrest about 15% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,081 in Hillcrest and $1,278 in Pretoria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Hillcrest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,081 in Hillcrest to $1,278 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.