Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,033 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pietermaritzburg and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pietermaritzburg and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $1,556 in Cape Town, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,033
Cape Town $1,556

A couple spends around $1,555 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $2,432 in Cape Town, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,555
Cape Town $2,432

A family of three spends $2,077 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $2,077
Cape Town $3,307

Pietermaritzburg is about 34% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pietermaritzburg sits 24% below the global median, while Cape Town is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.74 R 129

$12.09 R 201

-35.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 R 593

$44.34 R 738

-19.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.4

$6.15 R 102

-5.69%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.21

$2.36 R 39.24

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

$1.16 R 19.37

$1.26 R 21.03

-7.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.12

$1.00 R 16.56

3.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 R 35.72

$3.08 R 51.2

-30.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R 41.69

$3.70 R 61.5

-32.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.13

$1.34 R 22.38

-0.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 R 15.30

$1.19 R 19.86

-22.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.26

$2.10 R 34.96

-19.05%

Eggs

$3.16 R 52.6

$3.05 R 50.7

3.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 R 120

$8.73 R 145

-17.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 R 82.1

$6.97 R 116

-29.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 R 106

$9.39 R 156

-32.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.94

$1.89 R 31.39

7.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.23

$1.88 R 31.27

3.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 R 38.68

$1.69 R 28.04

37.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.85

$2.04 R 34.02

-0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.63

$1.57 R 26.08

13.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.04

$1.48 R 24.61

22.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.74

$1.28 R 21.33

16.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.26

$1.19 R 19.78

-12.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 52.2

$3.63 R 60.4

-13.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.92 R 65.3

$6.17 R 103

-36.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R 23.66

$1.39 R 23.10

2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.16

$2.18 R 36.27

-19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 R 47.62

$1.37 R 22.79

108.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.71 R 328

$61.3 R 1,020

-67.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 R 26.48

$0.57 R 9.56

178.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 R 17.66

$1.48 R 24.58

-28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.92

$1.58 R 26.25

-8.86%

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

$26.5K R 441.6K

$34.7K R 577.5K

-23.52%

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

$26.8K R 445.6K

$34.1K R 567.4K

-21.46%

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

$205 R 3,410

$117 R 1,945

75.31%

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

$32.46 R 540

$28.35 R 472

14.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.19 R 619

$40.58 R 675

-8.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 R 729

$48.54 R 808

-9.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.05 R 50.8

$10.80 R 180

-71.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.84 R 80.5

$9.11 R 152

-46.87%

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

$177 R 2,945

$302 R 5,024

-41.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,103 R 84.9K

$6,720 R 111.8K

-24.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R 943

$55.2 R 919

2.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 R 572

$32.70 R 544

5.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,894

$118 R 1,961

-3.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 R 1,163

$104 R 1,728

-32.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 R 3,601

$1,041 R 17.3K

-79.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 R 3,607

$691 R 11.5K

-68.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 R 9,583

$1,981 R 33.0K

-70.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,742

$1,388 R 23.1K

-70.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 R 98.4K

$2,420 R 40.3K

144.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$148 R 2,466

$1,552 R 25.8K

-90.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 R 17.6K

$1,576 R 26.2K

-32.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

10.97

6.38%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6%

Cape Town

$186 11.9% 32.3% $89

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21%

Cape Town

$691 44.4% 219% $474

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8%

Cape Town

$224 14.4% 15% $29

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Cape Town

$175 11.3% 32.7% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12%

Cape Town

$139 9% 12.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.3% 24.9% $13

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 96.3% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $216 in Pietermaritzburg versus $1,041 in Cape Town. 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 49% higher in Cape Town, 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 $36 in Pietermaritzburg versus $44 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $224 – making Pietermaritzburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

Same time as Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Pietermaritzburg Cape Town 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Pietermaritzburg
Cape Town

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

Pietermaritzburg vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 51% more than Pietermaritzburg, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,550 per month in Pietermaritzburg and $2,335 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pietermaritzburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $216 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg and $1,556 in Cape Town. That’s a gap of about 51%.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Pietermaritzburg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg and $1,556 in Cape Town, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Pietermaritzburg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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