Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,216 a month against $1,328 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,216

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,216 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $1,328 in Pretoria, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $1,216
Pretoria $1,328

A couple spends around $1,835 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $2,017 in Pretoria, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $1,835
Pretoria $2,017

A family of three spends $2,453 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $2,707 in Pretoria, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $2,453
Pretoria $2,707

Port Elizabeth is about 8% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Port Elizabeth and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Port Elizabeth 10% lower, Pretoria 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.00 R 181

$9.04 R 149

21.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.67 R 687

$37.37 R 616

11.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 R 96.2

$5.28 R 87.0

10.61%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 35.81

$2.33 R 38.34

-6.87%

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

$1.03 R 16.91

$1.09 R 17.89

-5.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.59

$0.89 R 14.72

-14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.37

$2.58 R 42.58

4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.3

$3.24 R 53.5

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.39

$1.19 R 19.62

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$1.13 R 18.63

-7.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.94

$1.77 R 29.17

-14.69%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.35

$2.55 R 42.00

10.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 R 141

$8.20 R 135

4.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 R 87.7

$4.82 R 79.5

10.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$7.45 R 123

12.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 R 36.04

$1.71 R 28.22

28.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.58

$1.61 R 26.46

-7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.04

$1.78 R 29.30

-4.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.74

$1.62 R 26.66

11.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.41

$1.13 R 18.54

46.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.83

$1.18 R 19.39

22.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 R 20.72

$1.17 R 19.33

7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.39

$1.33 R 21.97

-25.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 R 53.8

$3.18 R 52.4

2.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 R 79.4

$5.01 R 82.6

-3.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.99

$1.59 R 26.28

-20.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 30.00

$1.92 R 31.65

-5.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R 18.17

$4.81 R 79.2

-77.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.67 R 604

$176 R 2,893

-79.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 R 33.68

$0.31 R 5.19

558.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.25

$0.75 R 12.40

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 R 139

$14.28 R 235

-40.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.38

$1.52 R 25.03

-2.63%

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

$35.8K R 589.5K

$35.1K R 578.0K

1.98%

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

$34.1K R 562.5K

$33.3K R 549.0K

2.46%

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

$125 R 2,058

$152 R 2,505

-17.84%

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

$34.90 R 575

$36.95 R 609

-5.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.55 R 734

$37.42 R 617

19.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.20 R 530

$31.33 R 516

2.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.27 R 383

$10.27 R 169

126.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.74 R 177

$7.46 R 123

43.97%

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

$177 R 2,924

$261 R 4,300

-32.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,046 R 99.6K

$7,812 R 128.7K

-22.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 R 1,193

$53.8 R 886

34.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 R 631

$31.62 R 521

21.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,806

$94.0 R 1,549

16.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 R 1,574

$83.9 R 1,383

13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 R 9,859

$456 R 7,514

31.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 R 6,838

$401 R 6,610

3.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 R 13.3K

$981 R 16.2K

-17.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$682 R 11.2K

$749 R 12.3K

-8.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.6K

$875 R 14.4K

-12.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$522 R 8,604

$692 R 11.4K

-24.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,625 R 26.8K

$1,420 R 23.4K

14.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

11.34

5.29%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 13, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Elizabeth

$415 34.1%

Pretoria

$401 30.2% 3.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Elizabeth

$204 16.8%

Pretoria

$226 17.1% 10.8% $22

Groceries & Markets

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2%

Pretoria

$193 14.6% 1.7% $3.4

Eating Out

Port Elizabeth

$159 13.1%

Pretoria

$143 10.8% 9.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7%

Pretoria

$119 8.9% 16.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Port Elizabeth

$54 4.4%

Pretoria

$46 3.5% 13.9% $7.4

Getting Around

Port Elizabeth

$46 3.8%

Pretoria

$199 15% 336% $153

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $598 in Port Elizabeth 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 14% higher in Port Elizabeth, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Port Elizabeth versus $37.00 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $193 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

Same time as Port Elizabeth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,050,000

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

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Between locations

Port Elizabeth Pretoria 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Elizabeth
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

Port Elizabeth vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pretoria costs about 9% more than Port Elizabeth, 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 $1,824 per month in Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Pretoria – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Port Elizabeth and $37.00 in Pretoria. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Elizabeth, where all-in costs run around $1,216, than in Pretoria at $1,328. In Port Elizabeth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pretoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Port Elizabeth – 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 Port Elizabeth. 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.