Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Howick and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,081 a month against $1,279 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 Howick
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Howick Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,081 in Howick versus $1,279 in Pretoria.

Howick $1,081
Pretoria $1,279

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,676 in Howick versus $1,979 in Pretoria.

Howick $1,676
Pretoria $1,979

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,271 in Howick versus $2,678 in Pretoria.

Howick $2,271
Pretoria $2,678

Living in Howick costs roughly 16% less than in Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Howick 21% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.03 R 133

$9.28 R 154

-13.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.85 R 645

$36.09 R 599

7.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 R 91.3

$5.20 R 86.5

5.77%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 44.23

$2.18 R 36.27

22.02%

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

$1.09 R 18.19

$1.03 R 17.10

5.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.32

$0.85 R 14.04

8.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 R 39.69

$2.61 R 43.43

-8.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R 41.80

$3.24 R 53.8

-22.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 20.08

$1.17 R 19.42

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.30

$1.13 R 18.69

-13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.92

$1.83 R 30.43

-14.75%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.88

$2.40 R 39.83

-2.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 R 137

$8.16 R 136

0.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 R 87.7

$4.97 R 82.6

6.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 R 120

$7.38 R 123

-2.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 R 33.03

$1.70 R 28.28

17.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.24

$1.61 R 26.76

16.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 R 31.86

$1.77 R 29.46

8.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.22

$1.56 R 25.98

8.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.12 R 18.58

33.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.33

$1.22 R 20.23

19.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.17

$1.22 R 20.33

-0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.78

$1.27 R 21.09

-6.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 R 61.1

$3.17 R 52.7

16.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.84 R 80.4

$4.94 R 82.1

-2.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R 24.15

$1.50 R 24.90

-3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 31.23

$1.92 R 31.82

-2.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.52

$4.77 R 79.3

-67.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,972

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 R 7.49

$0.29 R 4.80

55.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.41

$0.79 R 13.17

-5.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.56 R 126

$14.24 R 236

-46.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.68

$1.55 R 25.68

-11.61%

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

$36.1K R 600.3K

$35.0K R 581.2K

3.29%

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

$33.1K R 550.2K

$35.0K R 581.1K

-5.32%

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

$150 R 2,491

$148 R 2,466

1.03%

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

$15.25 R 253

$36.56 R 607

-58.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 R 667

$36.12 R 600

11.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.93 R 530

$31.26 R 519

2.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 183

$10.56 R 175

4.07%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 R 118

$7.29 R 121

-2.74%

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

$309 R 5,141

$263 R 4,374

17.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,814 R 129.8K

$7,829 R 130.0K

-0.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 R 899

$52.1 R 865

3.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.61 R 508

$31.93 R 530

-4.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 R 1,636

$91.8 R 1,526

7.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,400

$82.2 R 1,365

2.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R 6,567

$450 R 7,474

-12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 R 6,078

$359 R 5,968

1.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.2K

$1,040 R 17.3K

-29.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.2K

$735 R 12.2K

-0.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$868 R 14.4K

$869 R 14.4K

-0.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$675 R 11.2K

$664 R 11.0K

1.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 R 23.0K

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 Howick: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Howick

$366 33.9%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 1.8% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Howick

$205 19%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 7.7% $16

Groceries & Markets

Howick

$195 18%

Pretoria

$192 15% 1.7% $3.3

Eating Out

Howick

$138 12.8%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 3.9% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Howick

$120 11.1%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 3.5% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Howick

$46 4.3%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 0.6% $0.3

Getting Around

Howick

$10 * 1%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 1858% $192

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 Howick and $450 in Pretoria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Howick vs $36 in Pretoria for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $192 per month, with Pretoria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Howick

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

Same time as Howick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,453

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Howick Pretoria 460 km

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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

Howick vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howick is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in transport, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,621 in Howick and $1,919 in Pretoria to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $395 in Howick versus $450 in Pretoria. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pretoria – a meal for two runs $36 versus $39 in Howick. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $309 in Howick versus $263 in Pretoria. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Howick gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.