Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,216 a month against $1,328 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,328

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Port Elizabeth

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

A single person spends $1,328 per month in Pretoria vs $1,216 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Pretoria $1,328
Port Elizabeth $1,216

A couple spends around $2,017 per month in Pretoria vs $1,835 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Pretoria $2,017
Port Elizabeth $1,835

A family of three spends $2,707 per month in Pretoria vs $2,453 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Pretoria $2,707
Port Elizabeth $2,453

Pretoria costs about 9% more than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Port Elizabeth are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 2% lower, Port Elizabeth 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.04 R 149

$11.00 R 181

-17.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.37 R 616

$41.67 R 687

-10.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.28 R 87.0

$5.84 R 96.2

-9.59%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R 38.34

$2.17 R 35.81

7.37%

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

$1.09 R 17.89

$1.03 R 16.91

5.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.72

$0.76 R 12.59

17.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.58

$2.69 R 44.37

-4.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.5

$3.24 R 53.3

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.62

$1.12 R 18.39

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.63

$1.04 R 17.20

8.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.17

$1.51 R 24.94

17.22%

Eggs

$2.55 R 42.00

$2.81 R 46.35

-9.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 R 135

$8.58 R 141

-4.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 R 79.5

$5.33 R 87.7

-9.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.45 R 123

$8.36 R 138

-10.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.22

$2.19 R 36.04

-21.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.46

$1.49 R 24.58

8.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.30

$1.70 R 28.04

4.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.66

$1.81 R 29.74

-10.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.54

$1.66 R 27.41

-31.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.39

$1.45 R 23.83

-18.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

$1.26 R 20.72

-7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.97

$0.99 R 16.39

34.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$3.26 R 53.8

-2.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 R 82.6

$4.82 R 79.4

3.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 26.28

$1.27 R 20.99

25.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.65

$1.82 R 30.00

5.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 R 79.2

$1.10 R 18.17

337.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$176 R 2,893

$36.67 R 604

378.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.19

$2.04 R 33.68

-84.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.40

$0.50 R 8.25

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.28 R 235

$8.45 R 139

68.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 R 25.03

$1.48 R 24.38

2.70%

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

$35.1K R 578.0K

$35.8K R 589.5K

-1.94%

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

$33.3K R 549.0K

$34.1K R 562.5K

-2.40%

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

$152 R 2,505

$125 R 2,058

21.71%

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

$36.95 R 609

$34.90 R 575

5.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.42 R 617

$44.55 R 734

-16.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 R 516

$32.20 R 530

-2.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 R 169

$23.27 R 383

-55.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R 123

$10.74 R 177

-30.54%

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

$261 R 4,300

$177 R 2,924

47.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,812 R 128.7K

$6,046 R 99.6K

29.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 R 886

$72.4 R 1,193

-25.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.62 R 521

$38.28 R 631

-17.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.0 R 1,549

$110 R 1,806

-14.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 R 1,383

$95.6 R 1,574

-12.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$456 R 7,514

$598 R 9,859

-23.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R 6,610

$415 R 6,838

-3.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$981 R 16.2K

$808 R 13.3K

21.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$749 R 12.3K

$682 R 11.2K

9.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$764 R 12.6K

14.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$692 R 11.4K

$522 R 8,604

32.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,420 R 23.4K

$1,625 R 26.8K

-12.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.94

-5.03%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 12, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$401 30.2%

Port Elizabeth

$415 34.1% 3.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$226 17.1%

Port Elizabeth

$204 16.8% 9.7% $22

Getting Around

Pretoria

$199 15%

Port Elizabeth

$46 3.8% 77.1% $153

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$193 14.6%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 1.7% $3.4

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 10.8%

Port Elizabeth

$159 13.1% 10.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$119 8.9%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 20% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.5%

Port Elizabeth

$54 4.4% 16.1% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $456 in Pretoria versus $598 in Port Elizabeth. 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 14% higher in Port Elizabeth, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Pretoria versus $42.00 in Port Elizabeth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $197 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

1,050,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Pretoria Port Elizabeth 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
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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 Port Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pretoria costs about 9% more than Port Elizabeth, 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 $1,824 in Port Elizabeth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Pretoria – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Pretoria and $42.00 in Port Elizabeth. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Elizabeth, where all-in costs run around $1,216, than in Pretoria at $1,328. In Port Elizabeth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pretoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Port Elizabeth – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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