Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mossel Bay and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,094 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
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Mossel Bay Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,094 per month in Mossel Bay vs $1,279 in Pretoria, rent included.

Mossel Bay $1,094
Pretoria $1,279

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Mossel Bay vs $1,979 in Pretoria, rent included.

Mossel Bay $1,720
Pretoria $1,979

A family of three spends $2,346 per month in Mossel Bay vs $2,678 in Pretoria, rent included.

Mossel Bay $2,346
Pretoria $2,678

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

Both Mossel Bay and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Mossel Bay 20% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.39 R 239

$9.28 R 154

55.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.69 R 809

$36.09 R 599

34.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 R 141

$5.20 R 86.4

63.65%

Cappuccino

$2.56 R 42.59

$2.18 R 36.26

17.43%

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

$1.39 R 23.08

$1.03 R 17.10

34.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.72

$0.85 R 14.03

11.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.62

$2.61 R 43.42

-6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 R 49.40

$3.24 R 53.8

-8.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R 18.19

$1.17 R 19.41

-5.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.84

$1.13 R 18.69

-5.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 R 44.51

$1.83 R 30.42

46.45%

Eggs

$3.14 R 52.1

$2.40 R 39.81

30.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 R 158

$8.16 R 136

16.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 R 87.7

$4.97 R 82.5

6.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.90 R 131

$7.38 R 123

7.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.17

$1.70 R 28.27

14.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 R 21.83

$1.61 R 26.75

-18.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.58

$1.77 R 29.45

0.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.62

$1.56 R 25.97

29.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 R 24.01

$1.12 R 18.58

29.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.17

$1.22 R 20.22

39.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.13

$1.22 R 20.32

-0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.21

$1.27 R 21.08

-3.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.7

$3.17 R 52.7

17.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.92 R 81.7

$4.94 R 82.1

-0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 R 34.16

$1.50 R 24.89

37.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 R 30.97

$1.92 R 31.81

-2.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.70

$4.77 R 79.2

-71.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,971

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.22

$0.29 R 4.80

113.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.72

$0.79 R 13.17

12.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.37 R 189

$14.24 R 236

-20.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.86

$1.55 R 25.67

-7.10%

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

$28.6K R 475.0K

$35.0K R 581.0K

-18.24%

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

$27.1K R 449.4K

$35.0K R 580.9K

-22.65%

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

$109 R 1,804

$148 R 2,465

-26.80%

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

$17.95 R 298

$36.56 R 607

-50.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.87 R 712

$36.12 R 600

18.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.03 R 349

$31.26 R 519

-32.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.91 R 181

$10.56 R 175

3.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$7.29 R 121

-1.51%

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

$275 R 4,572

$263 R 4,373

4.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 R 89.7K

$7,829 R 130.0K

-30.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.97 R 797

$52.1 R 865

-7.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.02 R 349

$31.93 R 530

-34.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 R 1,638

$91.8 R 1,525

7.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 R 1,105

$82.2 R 1,364

-18.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 R 8,348

$450 R 7,472

11.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 6,049

$359 R 5,967

1.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 R 17.2K

$1,040 R 17.3K

-0.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 R 11.4K

$735 R 12.2K

-6.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$597 R 9,910

$869 R 14.4K

-31.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$610 R 10.1K

$664 R 11.0K

-8.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,505 R 25.0K

$1,386 R 23.0K

8.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

11.34

3.62%

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

Last update for Mossel Bay: October 27, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mossel Bay

$364 33.3%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 1.4% $5

Groceries & Markets

Mossel Bay

$210 19.2%

Pretoria

$192 15% 8.6% $18

Eating Out

Mossel Bay

$199 18.2%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 28.1% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mossel Bay

$169 15.5%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 30.5% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Mossel Bay

$105 9.6%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 10.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 29.5% $10

Getting Around

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 1822% $192

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $503 in Mossel Bay 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 9% higher in Mossel Bay, 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 $49 in Mossel Bay versus $36 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $192 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

Same time as Mossel Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

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

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Between locations

Mossel Bay Pretoria 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mossel Bay
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

Mossel Bay vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,094 in Mossel Bay, $1,279 in Pretoria – Mossel Bay comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,640 per month in Mossel Bay 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 Pretoria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $450 there versus $503 in Mossel Bay.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Mossel Bay and $36 in Pretoria. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Pretoria – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,094 in Mossel Bay and $1,279 in Pretoria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.