Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newcastle, South Africa and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $1,020 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
Learn more

Newcastle Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
Learn more

Pretoria Living Index

Jump to prices

Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,020

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Newcastle vs $1,278 in Pretoria, rent included.

Newcastle $1,020
Pretoria $1,278

A couple spends around $1,627 per month in Newcastle vs $1,980 in Pretoria, rent included.

Newcastle $1,627
Pretoria $1,980

A family of three spends $2,235 per month in Newcastle vs $2,683 in Pretoria, rent included.

Newcastle $2,235
Pretoria $2,683

Newcastle is about 20% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Newcastle and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Newcastle 25% lower, Pretoria 5% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 R 150

$8.90 R 146

2.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.28 R 595

$36.92 R 606

-1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 R 87.4

$5.30 R 86.9

0.57%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R 37.39

$2.29 R 37.61

-0.44%

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

$1.03 R 16.83

$1.06 R 17.41

-2.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R 13.24

$0.86 R 14.04

-5.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.73

$2.34 R 38.37

0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 R 55.4

$3.42 R 56.1

-1.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.50

$1.13 R 18.60

5.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.03

$1.14 R 18.67

-3.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 R 21.91

$1.83 R 30.04

-26.78%

Eggs

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.41 R 39.61

-24.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 R 111

$8.44 R 138

-19.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 81.6

$5.00 R 82.1

-0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 R 122

$7.41 R 122

0.27%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 R 13.85

$1.79 R 29.42

-53.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 R 16.83

$1.68 R 27.59

-38.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R 15.23

$1.78 R 29.18

-47.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.55

$1.58 R 25.94

-13.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 R 15.69

$1.08 R 17.69

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.23

$1.18 R 19.38

4.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R 12.62

$1.18 R 19.32

-34.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R 10.01

$1.29 R 21.10

-52.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 R 52.9

$3.27 R 53.7

-1.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.93 R 48.01

$5.17 R 84.9

-43.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R 22.50

$1.55 R 25.46

-11.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.39

$1.88 R 30.83

-53.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 R 26.10

$4.59 R 75.3

-65.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,975

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.16

$0.31 R 5.10

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.53

$0.79 R 12.97

-3.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.48 R 238

$14.73 R 242

-1.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.16

$1.53 R 25.09

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

$35.8K R 587.8K

$35.7K R 586.2K

0.27%

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

$34.1K R 560.0K

$35.1K R 575.9K

-2.76%

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

$154 R 2,527

$150 R 2,459

2.76%

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

$37.56 R 616

$36.66 R 601

2.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.63 R 601

$36.73 R 603

-0.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.65 R 536

$31.99 R 525

2.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.38 R 170

$10.29 R 169

0.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 120

$7.07 R 116

3.11%

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

$265 R 4,353

$261 R 4,281

1.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,178 R 101.4K

$15.0K R 245.7K

-58.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 R 865

$52.6 R 863

0.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 R 525

$32.65 R 536

-1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 R 1,505

$92.1 R 1,510

-0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 R 1,347

$83.1 R 1,363

-1.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 R 7,116

$451 R 7,392

-3.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 R 5,260

$353 R 5,791

-9.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$759 R 12.4K

$1,023 R 16.8K

-25.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 R 12.3K

$727 R 11.9K

3.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$676 R 11.1K

$875 R 14.4K

-22.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 R 11.5K

$652 R 10.7K

7.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 22.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

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

Last update for Newcastle: 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

Newcastle

$321 31.5%

Pretoria

$353 27.6% 10.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newcastle

$228 22.4%

Pretoria

$223 17.5% 2.2% $5

Groceries & Markets

Newcastle

$154 15.1%

Pretoria

$194 15.2% 25.7% $40

Eating Out

Newcastle

$142 14%

Pretoria

$141 11% 1.1% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Newcastle

$116 11.4%

Pretoria

$117 9.2% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Newcastle

$47 4.6%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 2.3% $1.1

Getting Around

Newcastle

$11 * 1%

Pretoria

$204 16% 1842% $193

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Newcastle 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 $36 in Newcastle versus $37 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $154 vs $194 – making Newcastle the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

05:57 5:57 AM

Same time as Newcastle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

363,236

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Newcastle Pretoria 280 km

From you

Newcastle
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

Newcastle vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,020 in Newcastle, $1,278 in Pretoria – Newcastle comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,529 per month in Newcastle and $1,917 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $434 in Newcastle and $451 in Pretoria. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,020 in Newcastle and $1,278 in Pretoria. That makes Newcastle about 20% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $265 per month in Newcastle and $261 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,020 in Newcastle and $1,278 in Pretoria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Pretoria has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,020 in Newcastle to $1,278 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.