Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Pretoria: $1,328 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Johannesburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,430 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,328 in Pretoria, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,430
Pretoria $1,328

A couple spends around $2,195 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,017 in Pretoria, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,195
Pretoria $2,017

A family of three spends $2,960 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,707 in Pretoria, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,960
Pretoria $2,707

Johannesburg costs about 8% more than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 6% above the global median, while Pretoria is 2% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 R 197

$9.04 R 149

32.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.02 R 709

$37.37 R 616

15.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R 117

$5.28 R 87.0

34.85%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R 39.72

$2.33 R 38.34

3.43%

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

$1.17 R 19.21

$1.09 R 17.89

7.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R 15.30

$0.89 R 14.72

4.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R 37.03

$2.58 R 42.58

-12.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.49

$3.24 R 53.5

-14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.59

$1.19 R 19.62

10.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 R 21.12

$1.13 R 18.63

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.37

$1.77 R 29.17

-2.82%

Eggs

$2.63 R 43.34

$2.55 R 42.00

3.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R 140

$8.20 R 135

3.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.0

$4.82 R 79.5

13.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.80 R 145

$7.45 R 123

18.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.89

$1.71 R 28.22

23.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.45

$1.61 R 26.46

11.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.47

$1.78 R 29.30

3.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.99

$1.62 R 26.66

30.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.61

$1.13 R 18.54

53.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.09

$1.18 R 19.39

55.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 R 23.53

$1.17 R 19.33

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.99

$1.33 R 21.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 R 54.3

$3.18 R 52.4

3.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.91 R 97.3

$5.01 R 82.6

17.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.89

$1.59 R 26.28

13.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R 40.95

$1.92 R 31.65

29.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.01 R 33.11

$4.81 R 79.2

-58.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 R 1,481

$176 R 2,893

-48.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 R 13.62

$0.31 R 5.19

167.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.70

$0.75 R 12.40

18.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.42 R 238

$14.28 R 235

0.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.51

$1.52 R 25.03

-1.97%

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

$35.2K R 579.4K

$35.1K R 578.0K

0.23%

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

$32.5K R 534.9K

$33.3K R 549.0K

-2.56%

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

$233 R 3,841

$152 R 2,505

53.33%

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

$37.52 R 618

$36.95 R 609

1.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.32 R 598

$37.42 R 617

-2.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.44 R 600

$31.33 R 516

16.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.23 R 284

$10.27 R 169

67.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.66 R 126

$7.46 R 123

2.68%

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

$246 R 4,048

$261 R 4,300

-5.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,533 R 91.2K

$7,812 R 128.7K

-29.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 R 963

$53.8 R 886

8.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.21 R 745

$31.62 R 521

42.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,817

$94.0 R 1,549

17.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 R 1,734

$83.9 R 1,383

25.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 R 8,127

$456 R 7,514

8.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$435 R 7,160

$401 R 6,610

8.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$985 R 16.2K

$981 R 16.2K

0.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 R 14.8K

$749 R 12.3K

19.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$967 R 15.9K

$875 R 14.4K

10.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$746 R 12.3K

$692 R 11.4K

7.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,738 R 28.6K

$1,420 R 23.4K

22.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.34

-3.79%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$435 30.4%

Pretoria

$401 30.2% 7.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$307 21.5%

Pretoria

$226 17.1% 26.2% $81

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.3%

Pretoria

$193 14.6% 11.5% $25

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$171 12%

Pretoria

$143 10.8% 16.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$144 10.1%

Pretoria

$119 8.9% 17.5% $25

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$103 7.2%

Pretoria

$199 15% 92.7% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.6%

Pretoria

$46 3.5% 10.7% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $493 in Johannesburg versus $456 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 22% higher in Johannesburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Johannesburg versus $37.00 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $193 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Johannesburg vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 8% more than Pretoria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,145 per month in Johannesburg and $1,992 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pretoria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Johannesburg and $37.00 in Pretoria. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,430 in Johannesburg and $1,328 in Pretoria. That's a gap of about 8%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pretoria, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Pretoria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pretoria costs $1,328 versus $1,430 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Pretoria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.