Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Howick

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,081 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
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Howick Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Howick

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,279 in Pretoria versus $1,081 in Howick.

Pretoria $1,279
Howick $1,081

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,979 in Pretoria versus $1,676 in Howick.

Pretoria $1,979
Howick $1,676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,678 in Pretoria versus $2,271 in Howick.

Pretoria $2,678
Howick $2,271

Living in Pretoria is roughly 18% more expensive than in Howick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pretoria 6% lower, Howick 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 R 154

$8.03 R 133

15.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.09 R 599

$38.85 R 645

-7.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 R 86.5

$5.50 R 91.3

-5.45%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R 36.27

$2.66 R 44.23

-18.05%

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

$1.03 R 17.10

$1.09 R 18.19

-5.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 14.04

$0.92 R 15.32

-7.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 R 43.43

$2.39 R 39.69

9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.8

$2.52 R 41.80

28.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.42

$1.21 R 20.08

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.69

$0.98 R 16.30

15.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.43

$1.56 R 25.92

17.31%

Eggs

$2.40 R 39.83

$2.34 R 38.88

2.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 R 136

$8.23 R 137

-0.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 82.6

$5.28 R 87.7

-5.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 R 123

$7.20 R 120

2.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.28

$1.99 R 33.03

-14.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.76

$1.88 R 31.24

-14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.46

$1.92 R 31.86

-7.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.98

$1.70 R 28.22

-8.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.58

$1.49 R 24.76

-24.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.23

$1.46 R 24.33

-16.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.33

$1.21 R 20.17

0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.09

$1.19 R 19.78

6.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 R 52.7

$3.68 R 61.1

-13.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 R 82.1

$4.84 R 80.4

2.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.45 R 24.15

3.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.82

$1.88 R 31.23

2.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 R 79.3

$1.54 R 25.52

209.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,972

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.80

$0.45 R 7.49

-35.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.17

$0.75 R 12.41

5.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.24 R 236

$7.56 R 126

88.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.68

$1.37 R 22.68

13.14%

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

$35.0K R 581.2K

$36.1K R 600.3K

-3.18%

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

$35.0K R 581.1K

$33.1K R 550.2K

5.62%

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

$148 R 2,466

$150 R 2,491

-1.02%

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

$36.56 R 607

$15.25 R 253

139.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.12 R 600

$40.18 R 667

-10.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.26 R 519

$31.93 R 530

-2.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 175

$10.99 R 183

-3.91%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 121

$7.09 R 118

2.82%

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

$263 R 4,374

$309 R 5,141

-14.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,829 R 130.0K

$7,814 R 129.8K

0.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 865

$54.1 R 899

-3.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.93 R 530

$30.61 R 508

4.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 R 1,526

$98.5 R 1,636

-6.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.2 R 1,365

$84.3 R 1,400

-2.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 R 7,474

$395 R 6,567

13.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,968

$366 R 6,078

-1.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 R 17.3K

$735 R 12.2K

41.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.2K

$734 R 12.2K

0.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.4K

$868 R 14.4K

0.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 11.0K

$675 R 11.2K

-1.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Howick: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$359 28.1%

Howick

$366 33.9% 1.8% $6.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$221 17.3%

Howick

$205 19% 7.1% $16

Getting Around

Pretoria

$202 15.8%

Howick

$10 * 1% 94.9% $192

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$192 15%

Howick

$195 18% 1.7% $3.3

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 11.2%

Howick

$138 12.8% 3.7% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$116 9.1%

Howick

$120 11.1% 3.7% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Howick

$46 4.3% 0.6% $0.3

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 $450 in Pretoria and $395 in Howick. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $36 in Pretoria vs $39 in Howick for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $195 per month, with Pretoria cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Howick

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

32,453

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Pretoria Howick 460 km

From you

Pretoria
Howick

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 Howick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Howick is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in transport, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,919 in Pretoria and $1,621 in Howick to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $450 in Pretoria versus $395 in Howick. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Pretoria – a meal for two runs $36 versus $39 in Howick. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $263 in Pretoria versus $309 in Howick. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Howick 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.