Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Polokwane Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Polokwane

😐 Solo nomad: Pretoria is 36.5% more expensive than Polokwane without rent, and 38.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Pretoria is 8% more expensive than Polokwane without rent, and 42.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pretoria
Polokwane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.26 R 147
$9.72 R 173
-15.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.75 R 600
$41.89 R 745
-19.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.8 R 85.4
$4.89 R 86.9
-1.84%
Cappuccino
$2.13 R 37.83
$2.25 R 40.08
-5.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 R 18.73
$0.85 R 15.2
23.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 R 14.71
$0.74 R 13.22
12.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.29 R 40.81
$1.66 R 29.52
37.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 R 50
$1.98 R 35.14
41.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pretoria
Polokwane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.2 R 21.29
$1.18 R 21
1.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 R 17.95
$1 R 17.86
1.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 R 29.13
$1.73 R 30.68
-5.20%
Eggs
$2.39 R 42.54
$2.44 R 43.43
-2.05%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.6 R 135
$6.83 R 121
11.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.61 R 81.9
$3.26 R 58
41.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.42 R 114
$5.56 R 99
15.47%
Apples (1kg)
$1.65 R 29.34
$1.69 R 30.05
-2.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 R 27.29
$1.47 R 26.21
4.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 R 29.7
$1.55 R 27.62
7.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 R 28.71
$1.61 R 28.72
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.33 R 23.57
$1.49 R 26.44
-10.74%
Onion (1kg)
$1.16 R 20.7
$1.18 R 21.04
-1.69%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 19.27
$1.09 R 19.33
-0.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.11 R 19.73
$0.73 R 12.92
52.05%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.84 R 50.4
$2.73 R 48.59
4.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.17 R 92
$4.53 R 80.6
14.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.56 R 27.67
$1.08 R 19.22
44.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 R 32.13
$1.26 R 22.36
43.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Pretoria
Polokwane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.27 R 58.2
$3.18 R 56.5
2.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$63.2 R 1,124
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.42 R 25.2
$0.86 R 15.24
65.12%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.38 R 24.62
$0.93 R 16.56
48.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 R 55.3
$4 R 71.2
-22.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 R 23.46
$1.21 R 21.49
9.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19K R 337.3K
$14.2K R 251.9K
33.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.8K R 458.9K
$22.7K R 404.4K
13.48%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pretoria
Polokwane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 R 2,196
$118 R 2,097
4.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$37.49 R 667
$40.52 R 721
-7.48%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$38.51 R 685
$37.68 R 670
2.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pretoria
Polokwane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$32.7 R 582
$21.81 R 388
49.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.26 R 182
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.62 R 135
$7.35 R 131
3.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pretoria
Polokwane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$195 R 3,474
$169 R 3,011
15.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,427 R 78.7K
$1,346 R 23.9K
228.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pretoria
Polokwane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.99 R 889
$34.11 R 607
46.56%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.88 R 567
$33.05 R 588
-3.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.1 R 1,549
$74.8 R 1,330
16.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.8 R 1,544
$79 R 1,405
9.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pretoria
Polokwane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$399 R 7,102
$253 R 4,503
57.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$395 R 7,024
$176 R 3,126
124.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$735 R 13.1K
$373 R 6,639
96.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$748 R 13.3K
$281 R 5,000
166.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$875 R 15.6K
$780 R 13.9K
12.23%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$805 R 14.3K
$692 R 12.3K
16.27%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pretoria
Polokwane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,572 R 28K
$1,476 R 26.2K
6.49%
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 Polokwane: October 27, 2025

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