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

🙂 Solo nomad: Pretoria is 3.4% cheaper than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 12.8% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Pretoria is 11.8% cheaper than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 12.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.44 R 138
$7.96 R 130
6.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.10 R 539
$43.18 R 704
-23.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.82 R 78.6
$5.51 R 89.8
-12.52%
Cappuccino
$2.10 R 34.23
$2.12 R 34.57
-0.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.01 R 16.48
$0.87 R 14.16
16.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.53
$0.69 R 11.29
28.99%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 R 36.78
$1.63 R 26.61
38.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.88 R 46.97
$2.42 R 39.49
19.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.26 R 20.48
$1.07 R 17.46
17.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 R 16.64
$0.80 R 13.07
27.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 R 26.71
$1.50 R 24.48
9.33%
Eggs
$2.43 R 39.55
$2.25 R 36.69
8.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.48 R 122
$7.04 R 115
6.25%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 R 72.5
$4.69 R 76.4
-5.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.27 R 102
$7.02 R 114
-10.68%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 R 27.31
$1.66 R 27.14
1.20%
Banana (1kg)
$1.60 R 26.09
$1.76 R 28.75
-9.09%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.09
$2.00 R 32.67
-17.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 R 26.27
$1.67 R 27.16
-3.59%
Potato (1kg)
$1.31 R 21.36
$1.48 R 24.06
-11.49%
Onion (1kg)
$1.22 R 19.85
$1.78 R 28.98
-31.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 R 18.63
$1.28 R 20.92
-10.94%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 R 18.32
$0.96 R 15.69
16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.86 R 46.69
$2.90 R 47.29
-1.38%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.26 R 85.8
$3.61 R 58.9
45.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 R 25.45
$1.45 R 23.62
7.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 R 30.54
$1.78 R 28.94
5.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.28 R 53.5
$2.70 R 44.03
21.48%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$64.0 R 1,043
$18.09 R 295
253.62%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.38 R 22.47
$1.64 R 26.71
-15.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 R 21.59
$0.53 R 8.59
149.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.03 R 49.34
$3.97 R 64.7
-23.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 R 20.45
$1.24 R 20.29
0.81%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K R 312.2K
$24.0K R 391.2K
-20.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K R 431.0K
$22.6K R 368.0K
17.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$122 R 1,990
$237 R 3,857
-48.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.95 R 619
$30.12 R 491
26.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.13 R 621
$58.2 R 948
-34.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.16 R 524
$38.31 R 624
-16.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.42 R 170
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.59 R 124
$5.08 R 82.8
49.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$198 R 3,231
$149 R 2,427
33.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,398 R 71.7K
$4,742 R 77.3K
-7.26%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.4 R 822
$61.1 R 996
-17.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.82 R 519
$38.43 R 626
-17.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.4 R 1,457
$181 R 2,947
-50.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.0 R 1,419
$73.5 R 1,197
18.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$397 R 6,466
$208 R 3,398
90.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$394 R 6,417
$185 R 3,018
112.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$715 R 11.7K
$518 R 8,449
37.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$764 R 12.4K
$381 R 6,212
100.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$879 R 14.3K
$756 R 12.3K
16.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$717 R 11.7K
$445 R 7,247
61.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pretoria
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,416 R 23.1K
$884 R 14.4K
60.22%
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: April 11, 2026

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: April 12, 2026

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

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