Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Grahamstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Grahamstown: $1,120 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Grahamstown
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Grahamstown Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Grahamstown

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Grahamstown

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Pretoria versus $1,120 in Grahamstown.

Pretoria $1,278
Grahamstown $1,120

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,980 in Pretoria versus $1,775 in Grahamstown.

Pretoria $1,980
Grahamstown $1,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,683 in Pretoria versus $2,430 in Grahamstown.

Pretoria $2,683
Grahamstown $2,430

Living in Pretoria is roughly 14% more expensive than in Grahamstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pretoria 5% lower, Grahamstown 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 148

$10.93 R 181

-18.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 613

$41.85 R 694

-11.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 87.9

$6.04 R 100

-12.25%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 38.03

$2.17 R 36.04

5.53%

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

$1.06 R 17.60

$1.05 R 17.38

0.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.20

$0.72 R 11.92

19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.80

$2.75 R 45.59

-14.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 56.7

$3.10 R 51.4

10.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.81

$1.17 R 19.46

-3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.88

$1.00 R 16.60

14.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.37

$1.49 R 24.64

22.82%

Eggs

$2.41 R 40.05

$2.72 R 45.16

-11.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 140

$8.51 R 141

-0.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 83.0

$5.34 R 88.7

-6.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 123

$8.25 R 137

-10.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.75

$2.16 R 35.76

-17.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.90

$1.52 R 25.20

10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.51

$1.63 R 27.06

9.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.23

$1.79 R 29.63

-11.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.89

$1.68 R 27.89

-35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.59

$1.37 R 22.80

-13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.54

$1.22 R 20.30

-3.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.34

$1.01 R 16.76

27.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 54.3

$3.26 R 54.0

0.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 85.8

$4.74 R 78.7

9.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.75

$1.27 R 21.07

22.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 31.17

$1.79 R 29.73

5.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 76.2

$1.49 R 24.73

208.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 3,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.16

$0.85 R 14.12

-63.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.12

$0.46 R 7.64

71.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 244

$8.54 R 142

72.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.37

$1.49 R 24.76

2.68%

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

$35.7K R 592.8K

$34.6K R 574.4K

3.20%

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

$35.1K R 582.4K

$35.2K R 584.7K

-0.40%

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

$150 R 2,487

$121 R 2,004

24.08%

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

$36.66 R 608

$34.27 R 569

6.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 609

$44.91 R 745

-18.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 531

$35.56 R 590

-10.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 171

$11.03 R 183

-6.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 R 117

$10.48 R 174

-32.54%

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

$261 R 4,329

$175 R 2,911

48.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 248.5K

$5,021 R 83.3K

198.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 872

$71.2 R 1,181

-26.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 542

$38.95 R 646

-16.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,527

$111 R 1,841

-17.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,378

$97.8 R 1,623

-15.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,474

$395 R 6,548

14.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,856

$357 R 5,918

-1.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 17.0K

$742 R 12.3K

38.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$743 R 12.3K

-2.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.5K

$727 R 12.1K

20.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.8K

$741 R 12.3K

-11.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 23.2K

$1,205 R 20.0K

16.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.94

-5.03%

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Grahamstown: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

Grahamstown

$357 31.9% 1.1% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

Grahamstown

$200 17.9% 10.4% $23

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

Grahamstown

$9.1 * 0.8% 95.5% $195

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

Grahamstown

$195 17.4% 0.6% $1.2

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

Grahamstown

$159 14.2% 12.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

Grahamstown

$144 12.8% 22.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Grahamstown

$57 5.1% 22.5% $10

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 $395 in Grahamstown. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pretoria pays 16% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $37 in Pretoria vs $42 in Grahamstown for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $195 per month, with Pretoria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Grahamstown

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

67,264

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Pretoria Grahamstown 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
Grahamstown

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 Grahamstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Grahamstown wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Pretoria. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Grahamstown the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $395 in Grahamstown. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,278 per month in Pretoria versus $1,120 in Grahamstown – Grahamstown is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Dining out is cheaper in Pretoria – a meal for two runs $37 versus $42 in Grahamstown. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Grahamstown 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.

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