Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Pretoria: $1,328 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,328

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Cape Town

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

A single person spends $1,328 per month in Pretoria vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Pretoria $1,328
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Pretoria vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Pretoria $2,017
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,707 per month in Pretoria vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Pretoria $2,707
Cape Town $3,263

Pretoria is about 16% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Pretoria sits 2% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.04 R 149

$12.14 R 200

-25.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.37 R 616

$45.34 R 747

-17.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 R 87.0

$5.88 R 96.9

-10.20%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R 38.34

$2.50 R 41.18

-6.80%

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

$1.09 R 17.89

$1.27 R 20.94

-14.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.72

$0.98 R 16.14

-9.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.58

$2.99 R 49.33

-13.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.5

$3.72 R 61.4

-12.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.62

$1.30 R 21.40

-8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.63

$1.25 R 20.68

-9.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.17

$2.23 R 36.76

-20.63%

Eggs

$2.55 R 42.00

$3.11 R 51.2

-18.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 R 135

$9.06 R 149

-9.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R 79.5

$6.92 R 114

-30.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.45 R 123

$9.30 R 153

-19.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.22

$1.84 R 30.25

-7.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.46

$1.96 R 32.29

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.30

$1.67 R 27.45

6.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.66

$2.17 R 35.70

-25.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.54

$1.57 R 25.81

-28.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.39

$1.48 R 24.45

-20.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

$1.30 R 21.41

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.97

$1.13 R 18.60

17.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$3.60 R 59.3

-11.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 R 82.6

$6.15 R 101

-18.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 26.28

$1.38 R 22.66

15.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.65

$2.14 R 35.20

-10.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 R 79.2

$1.50 R 24.65

220.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$176 R 2,893

$60.8 R 1,001

189.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.19

$0.59 R 9.71

-47.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.40

$1.50 R 24.65

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.28 R 235

$5.11 R 84.2

179.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.03

$1.55 R 25.50

-1.94%

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

$35.1K R 578.0K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-3.10%

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

$33.3K R 549.0K

$31.2K R 514.8K

6.64%

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

$152 R 2,505

$114 R 1,883

33.00%

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

$36.95 R 609

$28.91 R 476

27.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.42 R 617

$39.73 R 654

-5.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 R 516

$49.01 R 808

-36.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 R 169

$10.99 R 181

-6.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R 123

$9.15 R 151

-18.47%

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

$261 R 4,300

$259 R 4,264

0.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,812 R 128.7K

$6,794 R 111.9K

14.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 R 886

$56.2 R 926

-4.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.62 R 521

$32.41 R 534

-2.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 R 1,549

$121 R 1,987

-22.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 R 1,383

$108 R 1,781

-22.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$456 R 7,514

$1,021 R 16.8K

-55.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R 6,610

$717 R 11.8K

-44.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 R 16.2K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-46.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 R 12.3K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-43.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-63.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$692 R 11.4K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-55.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 R 23.4K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-13.36%

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 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$401 30.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 78.7% $316

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$226 17.1%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 19.2% $43

Getting Around

Pretoria

$199 15%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 62.4% $124

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$193 14.6%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 16.4% $32

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 10.8%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 22.8% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$119 8.9%

Cape Town

$143 9% 20.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.5%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 45.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $456 in Pretoria versus $1,021 in Cape Town. 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 15% higher in Cape Town, 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 $37.00 in Pretoria versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $225 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

3,740,026 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

Pretoria Cape Town 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
Cape Town

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 Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 19% more than Pretoria, 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 $1,992 per month in Pretoria and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,328 in Pretoria and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 19%.

Public transport costs about 189% less in Pretoria. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pretoria, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Pretoria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pretoria costs $1,328 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Pretoria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.