Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $992 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in East London

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

A single person spends $1,279 per month in Pretoria vs $992 in East London, rent included.

Pretoria $1,279
East London $992

A couple spends around $1,979 per month in Pretoria vs $1,611 in East London, rent included.

Pretoria $1,979
East London $1,611

A family of three spends $2,678 per month in Pretoria vs $2,230 in East London, rent included.

Pretoria $2,678
East London $2,230

Pretoria costs about 29% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and East London are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 6% lower, East London 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 R 154

$9.10 R 151

1.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.09 R 599

$38.23 R 635

-5.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 R 86.4

$5.57 R 92.5

-6.64%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R 36.26

$2.05 R 34.01

6.34%

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

$1.03 R 17.10

$1.04 R 17.30

-0.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 14.03

$0.76 R 12.68

11.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 R 43.42

$2.69 R 44.62

-2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.8

$3.21 R 53.3

0.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.41

$1.18 R 19.67

-0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.69

$0.87 R 14.51

29.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.42

$1.44 R 23.94

27.08%

Eggs

$2.40 R 39.81

$2.27 R 37.75

5.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 R 136

$8.37 R 139

-2.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 82.5

$5.49 R 91.2

-9.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 R 123

$6.71 R 111

9.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.27

$1.46 R 24.26

16.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.75

$1.53 R 25.39

5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.45

$1.63 R 27.12

8.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.97

$1.43 R 23.81

9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.58

$1.68 R 27.84

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.22

$1.43 R 23.69

-14.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.32

$1.17 R 19.45

4.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.08

$0.95 R 15.79

33.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 R 52.7

$2.89 R 47.99

9.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 R 82.1

$4.70 R 78.0

5.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.89

$1.19 R 19.76

26.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.81

$0.98 R 16.35

95.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 R 79.2

$1.47 R 24.48

224.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,971

$46.85 R 778

281.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.80

$1.22 R 20.27

-76.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.17

$0.46 R 7.58

71.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.24 R 236

$8.38 R 139

69.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.67

$1.35 R 22.41

14.81%

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

$35.0K R 581.0K

$34.7K R 575.7K

0.92%

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

$35.0K R 580.9K

$29.3K R 486.3K

19.47%

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

$148 R 2,465

$122 R 2,030

21.39%

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

$36.56 R 607

$32.64 R 542

12.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.12 R 600

$44.35 R 736

-18.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.26 R 519

$39.51 R 656

-20.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 175

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 121

$4.54 R 75.4

60.57%

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

$263 R 4,373

$177 R 2,941

48.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,829 R 130.0K

$5,438 R 90.3K

43.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 865

$56.8 R 944

-8.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.93 R 530

$32.80 R 545

-2.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 R 1,525

$73.1 R 1,213

25.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.2 R 1,364

$95.2 R 1,580

-13.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 R 7,472

$290 R 4,822

54.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,967

$251 R 4,161

43.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 R 17.3K

$543 R 9,011

91.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.2K

$633 R 10.5K

16.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 11.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 R 23.0K

$1,664 R 27.6K

-16.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

3.09%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Last update for East London: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$359 28.1%

East London

$251 25.3% 30.3% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$221 17.3%

East London

$199 20.1% 9.9% $22

Getting Around

Pretoria

$202 15.8%

East London

$56 5.7% 72.2% $146

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$192 15%

East London

$180 18.1% 6.2% $12

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 11.2%

East London

$141 14.2% 1.4% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$116 9.1%

East London

$116 11.7% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

East London

$49 4.9% 6% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $450 in Pretoria versus $290 in East London. 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 20% higher in East London, 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 $36 in Pretoria versus $38 in East London. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Pretoria vs $180 in East London – so East London wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

267,007

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Pretoria East London 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,279 in Pretoria, $992 in East London – East London comes out roughly 22% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,919 per month in Pretoria and $1,487 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Pretoria and $177 in East London. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Pretoria, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Pretoria at $1,279. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pretoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward East London – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.