Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $1,328 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
Learn more

Pretoria Living Index

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Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $959 per month in Polokwane vs $1,328 in Pretoria, rent included.

Polokwane $959
Pretoria $1,328

A couple spends around $1,417 per month in Polokwane vs $2,017 in Pretoria, rent included.

Polokwane $1,417
Pretoria $2,017

A family of three spends $1,875 per month in Polokwane vs $2,707 in Pretoria, rent included.

Polokwane $1,875
Pretoria $2,707

Polokwane is about 28% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Polokwane and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Polokwane 29% lower, Pretoria 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.24 R 202

$9.04 R 149

35.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 R 489

$37.37 R 616

-20.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 R 123

$5.28 R 87.0

41.29%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.26

$2.33 R 38.34

2.15%

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

$0.77 R 12.68

$1.09 R 17.89

-29.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.47

$0.89 R 14.72

-1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 R 27.65

$2.58 R 42.58

-34.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.95

$3.24 R 53.5

-41.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.71

$1.19 R 19.62

10.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.82

$1.13 R 18.63

-4.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.03

$1.77 R 29.17

-3.95%

Eggs

$2.65 R 43.69

$2.55 R 42.00

3.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 R 129

$8.20 R 135

-4.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 R 75.6

$4.82 R 79.5

-4.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.04 R 99.6

$7.45 R 123

-18.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 R 33.19

$1.71 R 28.22

17.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.53

$1.61 R 26.46

14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.80

$1.78 R 29.30

1.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.30

$1.62 R 26.66

20.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.49

$1.13 R 18.54

47.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.73

$1.18 R 19.39

27.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.48

$1.17 R 19.33

-4.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.46

$1.33 R 21.97

-38.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 R 44.22

$3.18 R 52.4

-15.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 R 80.2

$5.01 R 82.6

-2.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$1.59 R 26.28

-27.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R 26.54

$1.92 R 31.65

-16.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 15.22

$4.81 R 79.2

-80.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.03 R 495

$176 R 2,893

-82.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.31 R 5.19

180.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.66

$0.75 R 12.40

26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.36 R 237

$14.28 R 235

0.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.52

$1.52 R 25.03

-5.92%

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

$26.1K R 430.1K

$35.1K R 578.0K

-25.59%

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

$28.5K R 469.0K

$33.3K R 549.0K

-14.57%

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

$138 R 2,281

$152 R 2,505

-8.93%

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

$38.10 R 628

$36.95 R 609

3.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.99 R 544

$37.42 R 617

-11.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.29 R 384

$31.33 R 516

-25.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 R 169

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 132

$7.46 R 123

7.24%

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

$179 R 2,946

$261 R 4,300

-31.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,452 R 23.9K

$7,812 R 128.7K

-81.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.30 R 746

$53.8 R 886

-15.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 R 622

$31.62 R 521

19.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 R 1,328

$94.0 R 1,549

-14.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 R 1,544

$83.9 R 1,383

11.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,785

$456 R 7,514

-36.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 R 3,338

$401 R 6,610

-49.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,922

$981 R 16.2K

-57.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 R 4,683

$749 R 12.3K

-62.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$692 R 11.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,343 R 22.1K

$1,420 R 23.4K

-5.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.34

-3.79%

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

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polokwane

$210 21.8%

Pretoria

$226 17.1% 8.1% $17

Accommodation & Living

Polokwane

$203 21.1%

Pretoria

$401 30.2% 98% $199

Groceries & Markets

Polokwane

$185 19.3%

Pretoria

$193 14.6% 4.3% $8

Eating Out

Polokwane

$168 17.5%

Pretoria

$143 10.8% 14.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Polokwane

$116 12.1%

Pretoria

$119 8.9% 2.3% $2.7

Getting Around

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Pretoria

$199 15% 405% $160

Sport & Entertainment

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Pretoria

$46 3.5% 17.7% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in Polokwane versus $456 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 6% higher in Pretoria, 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 $30.00 in Polokwane versus $37.00 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $193 – making Polokwane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

Same time as Polokwane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,999

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Polokwane Pretoria 240 km

From you

Polokwane
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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

Polokwane vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pretoria costs about 38% more than Polokwane, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,439 per month in Polokwane and $1,992 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Polokwane, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $179 per month in Polokwane and $261 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Pretoria, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polokwane, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Pretoria at $1,328. In Polokwane it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pretoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Polokwane – 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 Polokwane. 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.