Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Roodepoort

For one person, living is cheaper in Roodepoort: $1,172 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

Pretoria, South Africa
Roodepoort, South Africa
Pretoria
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,279
/mo nomad
Roodepoort
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,172
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Roodepoort

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

A single person spends $1,279 per month in Pretoria vs $1,172 in Roodepoort, rent included.

  • Pretoria $1,279
  • Roodepoort $1,172

A couple spends around $1,979 per month in Pretoria vs $1,767 in Roodepoort, rent included.

  • Pretoria $1,979
  • Roodepoort $1,767

A family of three spends $2,678 per month in Pretoria vs $2,362 in Roodepoort, rent included.

  • Pretoria $2,678
  • Roodepoort $2,362

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

Both Pretoria and Roodepoort are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 6% lower, Roodepoort 14% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pretoria
Roodepoort
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.28 R 154
$12.00 R 200
-22.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.09 R 600
$44.96 R 748
-19.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.20 R 86.6
$7.11 R 118
-26.86%
Cappuccino
$2.18 R 36.33
$2.43 R 40.47
-10.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 17.13
$1.13 R 18.87
-8.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 R 14.06
$0.98 R 16.28
-13.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.61 R 43.50
$2.44 R 40.53
6.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.24 R 53.9
$2.78 R 46.26
16.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pretoria
Roodepoort
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 R 19.45
$1.21 R 20.16
-3.31%
White Bread (500g)
$1.13 R 18.72
$1.15 R 19.12
-1.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 R 30.48
$1.78 R 29.68
2.81%
Eggs
$2.40 R 39.89
$2.51 R 41.77
-4.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.16 R 136
$8.79 R 146
-7.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.97 R 82.7
$5.38 R 89.5
-7.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.38 R 123
$8.88 R 148
-16.89%
Apples (1kg)
$1.70 R 28.32
$1.86 R 30.94
-8.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.61 R 26.80
$1.79 R 29.77
-10.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 R 29.50
$1.73 R 28.78
2.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 R 26.02
$2.13 R 35.43
-26.76%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 R 18.61
$1.72 R 28.58
-34.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.22 R 20.26
$1.77 R 29.40
-31.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.22 R 20.36
$1.21 R 20.18
0.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 21.12
$1.26 R 20.91
0.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.17 R 52.8
$3.50 R 58.2
-9.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.94 R 82.2
$5.85 R 97.3
-15.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.50 R 24.94
$1.52 R 25.34
-1.32%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.92 R 31.87
$1.91 R 31.75
0.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Pretoria
Roodepoort
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.77 R 79.4
$0.81 R 13.43
488.89%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$179 R 2,976
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.29 R 4.81
$0.81 R 13.40
-64.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.79 R 13.19
$0.88 R 14.71
-10.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.24 R 237
$14.69 R 244
-3.06%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 R 25.72
$1.56 R 25.91
-0.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.0K R 582.1K
$34.7K R 577.7K
0.77%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$35.0K R 582.0K
$35.1K R 583.8K
-0.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pretoria
Roodepoort
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 R 2,469
$226 R 3,761
-34.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.56 R 608
$39.16 R 652
-6.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$36.12 R 601
$37.33 R 621
-3.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pretoria
Roodepoort
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.26 R 520
$47.68 R 793
-34.44%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.56 R 176
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.29 R 121
$7.35 R 122
-0.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pretoria
Roodepoort
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$263 R 4,381
$238 R 3,967
10.44%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,829 R 130.3K
$5,476 R 91.1K
42.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pretoria
Roodepoort
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.1 R 867
$52.1 R 866
0.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.93 R 531
$32.49 R 541
-1.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.8 R 1,528
$110 R 1,822
-16.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$82.2 R 1,367
$88.4 R 1,471
-7.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pretoria
Roodepoort
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$450 R 7,486
$598 R 9,957
-24.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$359 R 5,978
$289 R 4,800
24.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,040 R 17.3K
$1,530 R 25.5K
-32.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$735 R 12.2K
$531 R 8,828
38.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$869 R 14.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$664 R 11.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pretoria
Roodepoort
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,386 R 23.1K
$1,519 R 25.3K
-8.75%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.34
11.25
0.80%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Last update for Roodepoort: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Pretoria
$359
Roodepoort
$289 19.7% $71
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pretoria
$221
Roodepoort
$303 36.8% $81
Getting Around
Pretoria
$202
Roodepoort
$8.5 * 95.8% $194
Groceries & Markets
Pretoria
$192
Roodepoort
$210 9.7% $18
Eating Out
Pretoria
$143
Roodepoort
$173 20.7% $30
Clothing & Footwear
Pretoria
$116
Roodepoort
$127 9.5% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Pretoria
$46
Roodepoort
$62 36.1% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $450 in Pretoria versus $598 in Roodepoort. 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 10% higher in Roodepoort, 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 $36 in Pretoria versus $45 in Roodepoort. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $210 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Pretoria
🇿🇦 Roodepoort
🕒 Local time
16:27 4:27 PM
16:27 4:27 PM
Same time as Pretoria
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
741,651 Capital
325,000
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.57 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Pretoria Roodepoort 55 km
From you
  • Pretoria
  • Roodepoort

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 Roodepoort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Roodepoort cheaper than Pretoria?
Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,919 per month in Pretoria and $1,758 in Roodepoort. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Pretoria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $450 there versus $598 in Roodepoort.
What are total monthly expenses in Pretoria and in Roodepoort?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,279 in Pretoria and $1,172 in Roodepoort. That makes Roodepoort about 8% cheaper.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Pretoria and $238 in Roodepoort. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,500 enough for either Pretoria or Roodepoort?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,279 in Pretoria and $1,172 in Roodepoort, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is it better to live in Pretoria or in Roodepoort?
It depends on your priorities. Pretoria has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,172 in Roodepoort to $1,279 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Pretoria vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?