Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Hillcrest

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Pretoria vs $1,081 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Pretoria $1,278
Hillcrest $1,081

A couple spends around $1,980 per month in Pretoria vs $1,686 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Pretoria $1,980
Hillcrest $1,686

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Pretoria vs $2,292 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Pretoria $2,683
Hillcrest $2,292

Pretoria costs about 18% more than Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Hillcrest are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 5% lower, Hillcrest 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 146

$7.87 R 130

13.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 607

$38.34 R 631

-3.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 87.1

$6.01 R 98.9

-11.81%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.71

$2.71 R 44.65

-15.50%

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

$1.06 R 17.45

$1.14 R 18.75

-7.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.08

$0.90 R 14.75

-4.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.47

$2.45 R 40.33

-4.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 56.2

$2.50 R 41.15

36.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.65

$1.18 R 19.33

-4.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.72

$0.98 R 16.18

16.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.12

$1.50 R 24.65

22.00%

Eggs

$2.41 R 39.71

$2.32 R 38.20

3.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 139

$8.19 R 135

3.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.3

$5.05 R 83.0

-0.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 122

$7.27 R 120

1.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.49

$1.29 R 21.28

38.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.67

$1.93 R 31.68

-12.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.26

$1.95 R 32.02

-8.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.73 R 28.50

-8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.74

$1.46 R 24.05

-26.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.43

$1.44 R 23.74

-18.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.37

$1.21 R 19.83

-2.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.16

$1.14 R 18.76

13.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.8

$3.71 R 61.0

-11.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 85.1

$4.80 R 78.9

7.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.41 R 23.16

9.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.91

$1.96 R 32.28

-4.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 75.5

$1.54 R 25.25

198.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,983

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.12

$0.44 R 7.16

-29.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.01

$0.71 R 11.64

11.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 242

$7.70 R 127

91.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.16

$1.45 R 23.91

5.52%

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

$35.7K R 587.8K

$35.2K R 579.2K

1.48%

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

$35.1K R 577.4K

$33.1K R 543.7K

6.20%

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

$150 R 2,466

$153 R 2,517

-2.05%

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

$36.66 R 603

$35.61 R 586

2.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 604

$39.04 R 642

-5.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 526

$33.00 R 543

-3.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 169

$13.55 R 223

-24.06%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 R 116

$7.29 R 120

-3.02%

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

$261 R 4,293

$310 R 5,106

-15.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 246.4K

$7,429 R 122.2K

101.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 865

$51.6 R 849

1.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 537

$27.96 R 460

16.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,514

$97.0 R 1,595

-5.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,366

$79.2 R 1,302

4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,411

$377 R 6,195

19.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,807

$353 R 5,800

0.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 16.8K

$640 R 10.5K

59.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.0K

$732 R 12.0K

-0.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$764 R 12.6K

14.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$575 R 9,455

13.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 23.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.78

-3.74%

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

Hillcrest

$353 32.6% 0.1% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

Hillcrest

$228 21.1% 2% $4.4

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9% 95% $194

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

Hillcrest

$189 17.5% 2.4% $4.7

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

Hillcrest

$139 12.9% 1.3% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

Hillcrest

$115 10.6% 1.8% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Hillcrest

$48 4.4% 3.1% $1.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $451 in Pretoria versus $377 in Hillcrest. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Pretoria versus $38 in Hillcrest. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Pretoria vs $189 in Hillcrest – so Hillcrest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🕒 Local time

01:59 1:59 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Pretoria Hillcrest 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
Hillcrest

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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Pretoria, $1,081 in Hillcrest – Hillcrest comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Pretoria and $1,622 in Hillcrest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $451 in Pretoria.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Pretoria and $310 in Hillcrest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,081 in Hillcrest. That makes Hillcrest about 15% cheaper.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,081 in Hillcrest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Hillcrest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,081 in Hillcrest to $1,278 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.