Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Johannesburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Johannesburg

🙂 Solo nomad: Pretoria is 4.5% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 1.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Pretoria is 7.4% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 1.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.26 R 147
$11.4 R 203
-27.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.75 R 600
$44.89 R 798
-24.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.8 R 85.4
$4.98 R 88.7
-3.61%
Cappuccino
$2.13 R 37.83
$2.18 R 38.8
-2.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 R 18.73
$1.04 R 18.45
0.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 R 14.71
$0.75 R 13.39
10.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.29 R 40.81
$2.7 R 48.05
-15.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 R 50
$2.55 R 45.29
10.20%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.2 R 21.29
$1.2 R 21.39
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 R 17.95
$1.1 R 19.5
-8.18%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 R 29.13
$1.72 R 30.51
-4.65%
Eggs
$2.39 R 42.54
$2.47 R 43.92
-3.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.6 R 135
$8.04 R 143
-5.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.61 R 81.9
$4.91 R 87.4
-6.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.42 R 114
$6.75 R 120
-4.89%
Apples (1kg)
$1.65 R 29.34
$1.69 R 30.11
-2.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 R 27.29
$1.53 R 27.16
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 R 29.7
$1.47 R 26.22
13.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 R 28.71
$1.58 R 28.14
1.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.33 R 23.57
$1.45 R 25.8
-8.28%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 R 20.7
$1.39 R 24.78
-16.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 19.27
$1.05 R 18.64
2.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 R 19.73
$0.95 R 16.87
16.84%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.84 R 50.4
$3.04 R 54.1
-6.58%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.17 R 92
$5.99 R 107
-13.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 R 27.67
$1.31 R 23.23
19.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 R 32.13
$1.67 R 29.74
8.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.27 R 58.2
$1.7 R 30.26
92.35%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.2 R 1,124
$71.1 R 1,265
-11.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 R 25.2
$1.1 R 19.48
29.09%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.38 R 24.62
$0.94 R 16.73
46.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 R 55.3
$4.1 R 72.9
-24.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 R 23.46
$1.21 R 21.58
9.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19K R 337.3K
$22.3K R 396.4K
-14.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K R 458.9K
$24.4K R 433.4K
5.87%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 R 2,196
$116 R 2,069
6.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.49 R 667
$40.29 R 717
-6.95%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.51 R 685
$42.05 R 748
-8.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.7 R 582
$34.62 R 616
-5.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.26 R 182
$13.93 R 248
-26.35%
Cinema Ticket
$7.62 R 135
$7.23 R 129
5.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$195 R 3,474
$206 R 3,665
-5.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,427 R 78.7K
$4,981 R 88.6K
-11.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.99 R 889
$50.6 R 899
-1.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.88 R 567
$33.58 R 597
-5.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.1 R 1,549
$91.2 R 1,621
-4.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 R 1,544
$78.5 R 1,397
10.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$399 R 7,102
$423 R 7,519
-5.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$395 R 7,024
$371 R 6,592
6.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 R 13.1K
$901 R 16K
-18.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$748 R 13.3K
$692 R 12.3K
8.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$875 R 15.6K
$1,111 R 19.8K
-21.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$805 R 14.3K
$748 R 13.3K
7.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pretoria
Johannesburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,572 R 28K
$1,585 R 28.2K
-0.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.69
11.51
1.56%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 29, 2025

Last update for Johannesburg: October 27, 2025

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