Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Bellville

For one person, living is cheaper in Bellville: $1,153 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
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Bellville Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Bellville

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,279 in Pretoria versus $1,153 in Bellville.

Pretoria $1,279
Bellville $1,153

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,979 in Pretoria versus $1,785 in Bellville.

Pretoria $1,979
Bellville $1,785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,678 in Pretoria versus $2,418 in Bellville.

Pretoria $2,678
Bellville $2,418

Living in Pretoria is roughly 11% more expensive than in Bellville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pretoria 6% lower, Bellville 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 R 155

$12.25 R 204

-24.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.09 R 601

$24.27 R 404

48.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 R 86.7

$6.08 R 101

-14.47%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R 36.39

$1.96 R 32.66

11.22%

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

$1.03 R 17.16

$1.36 R 22.63

-24.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 14.08

$1.03 R 17.13

-17.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 R 43.57

$2.23 R 37.10

17.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 54.0

$3.67 R 61.2

-11.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.48

$1.37 R 22.75

-14.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.75

$1.26 R 21.00

-10.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.53

$2.21 R 36.75

-17.19%

Eggs

$2.40 R 39.95

$3.11 R 51.9

-22.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 R 136

$9.11 R 152

-10.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 82.8

$6.96 R 116

-28.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 R 123

$9.79 R 163

-24.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.37

$1.85 R 30.87

-8.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.85

$1.90 R 31.63

-15.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.55

$1.76 R 29.36

0.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 26.06

$2.13 R 35.53

-26.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.64

$1.52 R 25.30

-26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.29

$1.50 R 24.98

-18.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.39

$1.31 R 21.85

-6.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.15

$1.15 R 19.17

10.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 R 52.9

$3.73 R 62.2

-15.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 R 82.3

$6.24 R 104

-20.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.98

$1.35 R 22.58

11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.92

$2.14 R 35.70

-10.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 R 79.5

$1.49 R 24.85

220.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,981

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.82

$0.58 R 9.67

-50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.21

$1.48 R 24.70

-46.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.24 R 237

$5.09 R 84.8

179.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.76

$1.54 R 25.71

0.65%

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

$35.0K R 583.0K

$35.3K R 588.7K

-0.96%

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

$35.0K R 583.0K

$34.4K R 573.9K

1.59%

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

$148 R 2,473

$119 R 1,988

24.41%

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

$36.56 R 609

$28.93 R 482

26.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.12 R 602

$39.84 R 664

-9.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.26 R 521

$33.04 R 551

-5.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 176

$11.06 R 184

-4.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 121

$8.92 R 149

-18.27%

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

$263 R 4,388

$266 R 4,439

-1.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,829 R 130.5K

$6,949 R 115.8K

12.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 868

$56.9 R 948

-8.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.93 R 532

$32.09 R 535

-0.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 R 1,530

$120 R 1,992

-23.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.2 R 1,369

$107 R 1,784

-23.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 R 7,498

$393 R 6,553

14.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,988

$362 R 6,038

-0.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 R 17.3K

$727 R 12.1K

43.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.3K

$746 R 12.4K

-1.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.5K

$879 R 14.6K

-1.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 11.1K

$685 R 11.4K

-3.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 R 23.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.97

3.37%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bellville: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$359 28.1%

Bellville

$362 31.4% 0.8% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$221 17.3%

Bellville

$188 16.3% 14.9% $33

Getting Around

Pretoria

$202 15.8%

Bellville

$14 * 1.2% 93.1% $188

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$192 15%

Bellville

$228 19.7% 18.8% $36

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 11.2%

Bellville

$168 14.6% 17.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$116 9.1%

Bellville

$142 12.3% 22.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Bellville

$51 4.4% 11% $5.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $450 in Pretoria and $393 in Bellville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Pretoria vs $24 in Bellville. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $228, with Pretoria cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Bellville

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

112,507

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pretoria Bellville 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
Bellville

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

Pretoria vs Bellville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bellville wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Pretoria. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bellville the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,919 in Pretoria and $1,729 in Bellville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $450 in Pretoria versus $393 in Bellville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Pretoria pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,279 per month in Pretoria versus $1,153 in Bellville – Bellville is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bellville is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.