Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Newcastle, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $1,020 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Newcastle

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Pretoria vs $1,020 in Newcastle, rent included.

Pretoria $1,278
Newcastle $1,020

A couple spends around $1,980 per month in Pretoria vs $1,627 in Newcastle, rent included.

Pretoria $1,980
Newcastle $1,627

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Pretoria vs $2,235 in Newcastle, rent included.

Pretoria $2,683
Newcastle $2,235

Pretoria costs about 25% more than Newcastle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Newcastle are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 5% lower, Newcastle 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 146

$9.14 R 150

-2.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 607

$36.28 R 597

1.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 87.1

$5.33 R 87.7

-0.56%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.71

$2.28 R 37.49

0.44%

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

$1.06 R 17.45

$1.03 R 16.87

2.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.08

$0.81 R 13.28

6.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.47

$2.36 R 38.83

-0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 56.2

$3.38 R 55.5

1.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.65

$1.19 R 19.56

-5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.72

$1.10 R 18.08

3.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.12

$1.34 R 21.97

36.57%

Eggs

$2.41 R 39.71

$1.83 R 30.16

31.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 139

$6.79 R 112

24.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.3

$4.97 R 81.8

0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 122

$7.43 R 122

-0.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.49

$0.84 R 13.89

113.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.67

$1.03 R 16.87

63.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.26

$0.93 R 15.28

91.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.37 R 22.61

15.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.74

$0.96 R 15.73

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.43

$1.23 R 20.29

-4.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.37

$0.77 R 12.65

53.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.16

$0.61 R 10.04

111.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.8

$3.22 R 53.0

1.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 85.1

$2.93 R 48.14

76.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.37 R 22.56

13.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.91

$0.88 R 14.42

113.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 75.5

$1.59 R 26.16

188.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,983

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.12

$0.31 R 5.18

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.01

$0.76 R 12.57

3.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 242

$14.48 R 238

1.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.16

$1.53 R 25.23

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

$35.7K R 587.8K

$35.8K R 589.4K

-0.27%

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

$35.1K R 577.4K

$34.1K R 561.5K

2.84%

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

$150 R 2,466

$154 R 2,534

-2.69%

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

$36.66 R 603

$37.56 R 618

-2.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 604

$36.63 R 603

0.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 526

$32.65 R 537

-2.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 169

$10.38 R 171

-0.87%

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

$265 R 4,364

-1.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 246.4K

$6,178 R 101.6K

142.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 865

$52.7 R 867

-0.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 537

$32.02 R 527

1.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,514

$91.7 R 1,509

0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,366

$82.1 R 1,351

1.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,411

$434 R 7,135

3.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,807

$321 R 5,274

10.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 16.8K

$759 R 12.5K

34.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.0K

$751 R 12.4K

-3.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$676 R 11.1K

29.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$704 R 11.6K

-7.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 23.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Newcastle: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

Newcastle

$321 31.5% 9.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

Newcastle

$228 22.4% 2.2% $5

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

Newcastle

$11 * 1% 94.9% $193

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

Newcastle

$154 15.1% 20.5% $40

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

Newcastle

$142 14% 1.1% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

Newcastle

$116 11.4% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Newcastle

$47 4.6% 2.4% $1.1

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 $434 in Newcastle. 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 $36 in Newcastle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $154 – making Newcastle the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🕒 Local time

22:01 10:01 PM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

363,236

💱 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 Newcastle 280 km

From you

Pretoria
Newcastle

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 Newcastle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,278 in Pretoria, $1,020 in Newcastle – Newcastle comes out roughly 20% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Pretoria and $1,529 in Newcastle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $451 in Pretoria and $434 in Newcastle. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,020 in Newcastle. That makes Newcastle about 20% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Pretoria and $265 in Newcastle. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,020 in Newcastle, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Pretoria has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,020 in Newcastle to $1,278 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.