Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,033 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $1,279 in Pretoria, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,033
Pretoria $1,279

A couple spends around $1,555 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $1,979 in Pretoria, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,555
Pretoria $1,979

A family of three spends $2,077 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $2,678 in Pretoria, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $2,077
Pretoria $2,678

Pietermaritzburg is about 19% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pietermaritzburg and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Pietermaritzburg 24% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.74 R 129

$9.28 R 154

-16.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 R 593

$36.09 R 600

-1.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.4

$5.20 R 86.6

11.54%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.21

$2.18 R 36.33

8.26%

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

$1.16 R 19.37

$1.03 R 17.13

12.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.12

$0.85 R 14.06

21.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 R 35.72

$2.61 R 43.50

-17.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R 41.69

$3.24 R 53.9

-22.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.13

$1.17 R 19.45

13.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 R 15.30

$1.13 R 18.72

-18.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.26

$1.83 R 30.48

-7.10%

Eggs

$3.16 R 52.6

$2.40 R 39.89

31.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 R 120

$8.16 R 136

-11.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 R 82.1

$4.97 R 82.7

-0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 R 106

$7.38 R 123

-13.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.94

$1.70 R 28.32

20.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.23

$1.61 R 26.81

20.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 R 38.68

$1.77 R 29.50

31.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.85

$1.56 R 26.02

30.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.63

$1.12 R 18.61

58.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.04

$1.22 R 20.26

48.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.74

$1.22 R 20.36

22.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.26

$1.27 R 21.12

-18.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 52.2

$3.17 R 52.8

-0.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.92 R 65.3

$4.94 R 82.2

-20.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R 23.66

$1.50 R 24.94

-5.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.16

$1.92 R 31.87

-8.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 R 47.62

$4.77 R 79.4

-40.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.71 R 328

$179 R 2,976

-88.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 R 26.48

$0.29 R 4.81

448.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 R 17.66

$0.79 R 13.19

34.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.24 R 237

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.92

$1.55 R 25.72

-7.10%

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

$26.5K R 441.6K

$35.0K R 582.1K

-24.13%

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

$26.8K R 445.6K

$35.0K R 582.1K

-23.45%

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

$205 R 3,410

$148 R 2,470

38.09%

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

$32.46 R 540

$36.56 R 608

-11.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.19 R 619

$36.12 R 601

2.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 R 729

$31.26 R 520

40.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.05 R 50.8

$10.56 R 176

-71.12%

Cinema Ticket

$4.84 R 80.5

$7.29 R 121

-33.61%

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

$177 R 2,945

$263 R 4,381

-32.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,103 R 84.9K

$7,829 R 130.3K

-34.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R 943

$52.1 R 867

8.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 R 572

$31.93 R 531

7.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,894

$91.8 R 1,528

23.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 R 1,163

$82.2 R 1,367

-14.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 R 3,601

$450 R 7,486

-51.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 R 3,607

$359 R 5,978

-39.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 R 9,583

$1,040 R 17.3K

-44.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,742

$735 R 12.2K

-44.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 R 98.4K

$869 R 14.5K

580.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$148 R 2,466

$664 R 11.1K

-77.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 R 17.6K

$1,386 R 23.1K

-23.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

11.34

2.91%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 19.5% $53

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 65.7% $143

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8%

Pretoria

$192 15% 1.5% $2.9

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 8.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 6.1% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 14.3% $7.6

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 431% $164

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $216 in Pietermaritzburg 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 31% higher in Pretoria. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Pietermaritzburg versus $36 in Pretoria. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Pietermaritzburg vs $192 in Pretoria – so Pretoria wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

Same time as Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Pietermaritzburg Pretoria 480 km

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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

Pietermaritzburg vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg, $1,279 in Pretoria – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,550 per month in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $216 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

Kindergarten costs $177 per month in Pietermaritzburg and $263 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg and $1,279 in Pretoria. That’s a gap of about 24%.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg and $1,279 in Pretoria, 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, Pretoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.