Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Boksburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Boksburg: $1,220 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $700 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
Learn more

Pretoria Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
Learn more

Boksburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,220

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Boksburg

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 Boksburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Pretoria versus $1,220 in Boksburg.

Pretoria $1,278
Boksburg $1,220

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,980 in Pretoria versus $1,894 in Boksburg.

Pretoria $1,980
Boksburg $1,894

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,683 in Pretoria versus $2,568 in Boksburg.

Pretoria $2,683
Boksburg $2,568

Living in Pretoria is roughly 5% more expensive than in Boksburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pretoria 5% lower, Boksburg 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 147

$12.10 R 199

-26.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 608

$45.93 R 757

-19.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 87.3

$5.15 R 84.9

2.91%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.77

$2.30 R 37.84

-0.43%

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

$1.06 R 17.48

$1.08 R 17.72

-1.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.10

$0.78 R 12.85

10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.53

$2.48 R 40.90

-5.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 56.3

$2.75 R 45.29

24.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.68

$1.36 R 22.48

-16.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.16 R 19.17

-1.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.80 R 29.61

1.67%

Eggs

$2.41 R 39.78

$2.64 R 43.57

-8.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 139

$9.02 R 149

-6.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.4

$5.21 R 85.8

-4.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 122

$8.92 R 147

-16.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.54

$1.77 R 29.24

1.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.71

$1.67 R 27.48

0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.31

$1.79 R 29.57

-0.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.05

$1.80 R 29.58

-12.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.77

$1.72 R 28.29

-37.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.46

$1.73 R 28.51

-31.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.41

$1.23 R 20.20

-4.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.19

$1.33 R 21.91

-3.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$3.28 R 54.1

-0.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 85.2

$5.87 R 96.7

-11.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.57

$1.57 R 25.80

-1.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.96

$1.96 R 32.37

-4.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 75.7

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,988

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.13

$0.31 R 5.16

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.03

$0.75 R 12.33

5.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 243

$14.20 R 234

3.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.20

$1.56 R 25.79

-1.92%

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

$35.7K R 588.8K

$35.7K R 588.6K

0.03%

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

$35.1K R 578.4K

$34.1K R 561.2K

3.07%

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

$150 R 2,470

$223 R 3,680

-32.88%

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

$36.66 R 604

$39.07 R 644

-6.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 605

$37.88 R 624

-3.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 527

$28.33 R 467

12.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 170

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 R 117

$8.23 R 136

-14.09%

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

$261 R 4,300

$246 R 4,049

6.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 246.8K

$7,503 R 123.6K

99.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 867

$53.6 R 883

-1.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 538

$45.45 R 749

-28.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,517

$102 R 1,683

-9.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,369

$113 R 1,858

-26.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,424

$320 R 5,267

40.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,817

$354 R 5,826

-0.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 16.9K

$658 R 10.8K

55.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.0K

$760 R 12.5K

-4.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 23.0K

$880 R 14.5K

58.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.91

3.94%

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Boksburg: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

Boksburg

$354 29% 0.2% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

Boksburg

$300 24.6% 34.5% $77

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

Boksburg

$4.1 * 0.3% 98% $200

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

Boksburg

$211 17.3% 8.7% $17

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

Boksburg

$165 13.5% 17.2% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

Boksburg

$141 11.6% 20.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Boksburg

$45 3.7% 2.9% $1.3

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 $451 in Pretoria and $320 in Boksburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pretoria pays 59% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Pretoria vs $46 in Boksburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $211 per month, with Pretoria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

260,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pretoria Boksburg 52 km

From you

Pretoria
Boksburg

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 Boksburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,220 in Boksburg, so Boksburg is about 5% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 59% higher in Pretoria, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $451 in Pretoria versus $320 in Boksburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Pretoria pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Pretoria versus $1,220 in Boksburg – Boksburg is about 5% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Boksburg gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Boksburg wins on affordability, Pretoria on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.