Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Pietermaritzburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Pietermaritzburg

😐 Solo nomad: Pretoria is 1.6% more expensive than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 9% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Pretoria is 2.1% cheaper than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.46 R 150
$7.97 R 142
6.15%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.91 R 603
$42.05 R 748
-19.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.64 R 82.6
$5.52 R 98.2
-15.94%
Cappuccino
$2.09 R 37.11
$2.14 R 38.01
-2.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 R 18.83
$0.95 R 16.95
11.58%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 R 14.74
$0.69 R 12.29
20.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.27 R 40.44
$1.66 R 29.45
36.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.84 R 50.5
$2.31 R 41.07
22.94%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.24 R 22.07
$1.03 R 18.31
20.39%
White Bread (500g)
$1.07 R 18.98
$0.88 R 15.57
21.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.12
$1.44 R 25.68
9.72%
Eggs
$2.48 R 44.08
$2.34 R 41.64
5.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.89 R 140
$7.18 R 128
9.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.7 R 83.7
$4.72 R 84
-0.42%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.37 R 113
$7 R 124
-9.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 R 29.99
$1.61 R 28.56
4.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.59 R 28.33
$1.67 R 29.77
-4.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.61 R 28.62
$1.96 R 34.77
-17.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.71 R 30.34
$1.73 R 30.81
-1.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 R 23.54
$1.54 R 27.34
-14.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.2 R 21.41
$1.76 R 31.25
-31.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.13 R 20.04
$1.25 R 22.16
-9.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 R 20.05
$0.93 R 16.5
21.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.72 R 48.41
$2.83 R 50.3
-3.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.17 R 91.9
$3.35 R 59.5
54.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 R 27.77
$1.4 R 24.87
11.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 R 32.68
$1.72 R 30.58
6.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.1 R 55.1
$2.73 R 48.52
13.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.9 R 1,154
$18.34 R 326
253.82%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.38 R 24.5
$1.7 R 30.27
-18.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.38 R 24.58
$0.57 R 10.06
142.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 R 56.3
$4.02 R 71.4
-21.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 R 23.63
$1.25 R 22.28
6.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.4K R 345.4K
$24.1K R 428.8K
-19.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K R 471.9K
$23.1K R 411K
14.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 R 2,176
$235 R 4,176
-47.90%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.7 R 670
$29.81 R 530
26.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.9 R 692
$57.7 R 1,026
-32.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.75 R 582
$38.07 R 677
-13.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.36 R 184
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.45 R 133
$5.03 R 89.4
48.11%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$201 R 3,570
$146 R 2,605
37.03%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,413 R 78.5K
$4,795 R 85.3K
-7.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.7 R 901
$62 R 1,103
-18.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.28 R 574
$37.6 R 669
-14.15%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.9 R 1,563
$181 R 3,222
-51.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89 R 1,584
$73.6 R 1,308
21.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$399 R 7,104
$207 R 3,673
93.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$390 R 6,930
$189 R 3,368
105.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$739 R 13.1K
$522 R 9,285
41.46%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 R 13.7K
$383 R 6,816
101.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$871 R 15.5K
$722 R 12.8K
20.63%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$816 R 14.5K
$428 R 7,618
90.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,569 R 27.9K
$849 R 15.1K
84.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.69
11.5
1.65%

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 4, 2025

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: November 5, 2025

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