Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Pretoria: $1,328 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Johannesburg outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,328

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Johannesburg

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

A single person spends $1,328 per month in Pretoria vs $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Pretoria $1,328
Johannesburg $1,430

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Pretoria vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Pretoria $2,017
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $2,707 per month in Pretoria vs $2,960 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Pretoria $2,707
Johannesburg $2,960

Pretoria is about 7% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Pretoria sits 2% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.04 R 149

$11.98 R 197

-24.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.37 R 616

$43.02 R 709

-13.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 R 87.0

$7.12 R 117

-25.84%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R 38.34

$2.41 R 39.72

-3.32%

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

$1.09 R 17.89

$1.17 R 19.21

-6.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.72

$0.93 R 15.30

-4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.58

$2.25 R 37.03

14.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.5

$2.76 R 45.49

17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.62

$1.31 R 21.59

-9.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.63

$1.28 R 21.12

-11.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.17

$1.72 R 28.37

2.91%

Eggs

$2.55 R 42.00

$2.63 R 43.34

-3.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 R 135

$8.47 R 140

-3.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R 79.5

$5.47 R 90.0

-11.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.45 R 123

$8.80 R 145

-15.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.22

$2.12 R 34.89

-19.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.46

$1.79 R 29.45

-10.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.30

$1.85 R 30.47

-3.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.66

$2.12 R 34.99

-23.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.54

$1.74 R 28.61

-35.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.39

$1.83 R 30.09

-35.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

$1.43 R 23.53

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.97

$1.33 R 21.99

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$3.30 R 54.3

-3.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 R 82.6

$5.91 R 97.3

-15.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 26.28

$1.81 R 29.89

-12.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.65

$2.49 R 40.95

-22.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 R 79.2

$2.01 R 33.11

139.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$176 R 2,893

$89.9 R 1,481

95.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.19

$0.83 R 13.62

-62.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.40

$0.89 R 14.70

-15.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.28 R 235

$14.42 R 238

-0.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.03

$1.49 R 24.51

2.01%

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

$35.1K R 578.0K

$35.2K R 579.4K

-0.23%

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

$33.3K R 549.0K

$32.5K R 534.9K

2.63%

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

$152 R 2,505

$233 R 3,841

-34.78%

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

$36.95 R 609

$37.52 R 618

-1.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.42 R 617

$36.32 R 598

3.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 R 516

$36.44 R 600

-14.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 R 169

$17.23 R 284

-40.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R 123

$7.66 R 126

-2.61%

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

$261 R 4,300

$246 R 4,048

6.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,812 R 128.7K

$5,533 R 91.2K

41.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 R 886

$58.4 R 963

-7.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.62 R 521

$45.21 R 745

-30.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 R 1,549

$110 R 1,817

-14.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 R 1,383

$105 R 1,734

-20.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$456 R 7,514

$493 R 8,127

-7.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R 6,610

$435 R 7,160

-7.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 R 16.2K

$985 R 16.2K

-0.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 R 12.3K

$896 R 14.8K

-16.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$967 R 15.9K

-9.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$692 R 11.4K

$746 R 12.3K

-7.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 R 23.4K

$1,738 R 28.6K

-18.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.91

3.94%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 12, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$401 30.2%

Johannesburg

$435 30.4% 8.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$226 17.1%

Johannesburg

$307 21.5% 35.6% $81

Getting Around

Pretoria

$199 15%

Johannesburg

$103 7.2% 48.1% $96

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$193 14.6%

Johannesburg

$218 15.3% 12.9% $25

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 10.8%

Johannesburg

$171 12% 19.4% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$119 8.9%

Johannesburg

$144 10.1% 21.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.5%

Johannesburg

$52 3.6% 11.9% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $456 in Pretoria versus $493 in Johannesburg. 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 22% higher in Johannesburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Pretoria versus $43.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $218 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

09:03 9:03 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Pretoria Johannesburg 53 km

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Pretoria
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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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 8% more than Pretoria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,992 per month in Pretoria and $2,145 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pretoria, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Pretoria and $43.00 in Johannesburg. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,328 in Pretoria and $1,430 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 8%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pretoria, where all-in costs run around $1,328, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Pretoria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Pretoria costs $1,328 versus $1,430 in Johannesburg. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Pretoria. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.