Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Pretoria Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Pretoria

🙂 Solo nomad: Pietermaritzburg is 14.8% cheaper than Pretoria without rent, and 7.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Pietermaritzburg is 2.4% cheaper than Pretoria without rent, and 11.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.26 R 136
$8.31 R 137
-0.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.79 R 705
$33.07 R 545
29.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.70 R 94.0
$4.85 R 80.0
17.53%
Cappuccino
$2.13 R 35.08
$2.09 R 34.36
1.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.92 R 15.23
$1.01 R 16.65
-8.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 R 12.14
$0.89 R 14.66
-16.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.71 R 28.21
$2.28 R 37.64
-25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 R 39.55
$2.79 R 45.92
-13.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 R 17.09
$1.24 R 20.43
-16.13%
White Bread (500g)
$0.83 R 13.62
$1.06 R 17.48
-21.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.92
$1.63 R 26.93
-7.36%
Eggs
$2.28 R 37.53
$2.41 R 39.80
-5.39%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.15 R 118
$7.73 R 127
-7.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.68 R 77.1
$4.54 R 74.8
3.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.87 R 113
$6.37 R 105
7.85%
Apples (1kg)
$1.59 R 26.16
$1.68 R 27.62
-5.36%
Banana (1kg)
$1.69 R 27.86
$1.59 R 26.15
6.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.96 R 32.27
$1.60 R 26.32
22.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.68 R 27.68
$1.64 R 26.95
2.44%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.27
$1.38 R 22.74
6.52%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 R 30.30
$1.21 R 19.87
52.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 R 21.15
$1.09 R 17.96
17.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.48
$1.11 R 18.25
-15.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.84 R 46.80
$2.73 R 44.99
4.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.57 R 58.9
$4.82 R 79.4
-25.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.40 R 23.02
$1.51 R 24.96
-7.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 R 29.30
$1.80 R 29.60
-1.11%
🚌 Getting Around
Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.77 R 45.59
$3.23 R 53.2
-14.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.97 R 296
$64.1 R 1,056
-71.96%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.70 R 28.06
$1.39 R 22.83
22.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.56 R 9.22
$1.32 R 21.71
-57.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.08 R 67.2
$3.02 R 49.78
35.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R 19.98
$1.32 R 21.75
-8.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.1K R 397.4K
$19.0K R 312.5K
27.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K R 373.0K
$26.0K R 428.0K
-12.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$236 R 3,897
$125 R 2,060
89.14%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.29 R 499
$37.08 R 611
-18.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.3 R 960
$37.79 R 623
54.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.72 R 638
$32.48 R 535
19.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.51 R 173
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.92 R 81.1
$7.67 R 126
-35.85%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$152 R 2,505
$198 R 3,256
-23.06%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,899 R 80.7K
$4,376 R 72.1K
11.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.1 R 1,007
$50.7 R 835
20.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.83 R 640
$31.81 R 524
22.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$177 R 2,923
$87.4 R 1,440
103.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.0 R 1,237
$88.9 R 1,465
-15.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$209 R 3,448
$398 R 6,563
-47.46%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$187 R 3,078
$394 R 6,499
-52.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$508 R 8,370
$721 R 11.9K
-29.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$378 R 6,238
$758 R 12.5K
-50.07%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$785 R 12.9K
$889 R 14.7K
-11.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$454 R 7,488
$715 R 11.8K
-36.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pietermaritzburg
Pretoria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$923 R 15.2K
$1,482 R 24.4K
-37.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.5
11.69
-1.63%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: March 2, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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