Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Sandton

For one person, living is cheaper in Sandton: $1,235 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $530 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Sandton
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Sandton Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Sandton

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Sandton

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

A single person spends $1,279 per month in Pretoria vs $1,235 in Sandton, rent included.

Pretoria $1,279
Sandton $1,235

A couple spends around $1,979 per month in Pretoria vs $1,888 in Sandton, rent included.

Pretoria $1,979
Sandton $1,888

A family of three spends $2,678 per month in Pretoria vs $2,540 in Sandton, rent included.

Pretoria $2,678
Sandton $2,540

Pretoria costs about 4% more than Sandton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Sandton are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 6% lower, Sandton 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 R 155

$10.73 R 179

-13.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.09 R 602

$45.71 R 763

-21.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 R 86.9

$5.62 R 93.9

-7.47%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R 36.45

$2.44 R 40.76

-10.66%

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

$1.03 R 17.19

$1.07 R 17.83

-3.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 14.11

$0.84 R 13.94

1.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 R 43.65

$2.45 R 40.97

6.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 54.1

$2.97 R 49.65

9.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.52

$1.20 R 20.05

-2.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.79

$1.07 R 17.84

5.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.58

$1.76 R 29.33

3.98%

Eggs

$2.40 R 40.02

$2.72 R 45.45

-11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 R 136

$8.86 R 148

-7.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 83.0

$4.86 R 81.2

2.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 R 123

$7.07 R 118

4.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.42

$2.09 R 34.86

-18.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.89

$1.75 R 29.22

-8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.60

$1.75 R 29.13

1.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 26.11

$1.81 R 30.13

-13.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.67

$1.50 R 25.11

-25.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.33

$1.78 R 29.71

-31.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.43

$1.23 R 20.47

-0.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.19

$1.30 R 21.65

-2.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 R 53.0

$3.16 R 52.8

0.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 R 82.5

$6.18 R 103

-20.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 25.03

$1.55 R 25.94

-3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.97

$1.89 R 31.60

1.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 R 79.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,986

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.82

$0.29 R 4.83

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.24

$0.88 R 14.62

-10.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.24 R 238

$14.21 R 237

0.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.81

$1.49 R 24.92

4.03%

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

$35.0K R 584.1K

$36.0K R 601.2K

-2.85%

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

$35.0K R 584.0K

$34.0K R 567.0K

2.99%

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

$148 R 2,478

$165 R 2,760

-10.22%

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

$36.56 R 610

$38.25 R 639

-4.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.12 R 603

$37.39 R 624

-3.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.26 R 522

$36.75 R 613

-14.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 176

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 122

$7.10 R 119

2.68%

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

$263 R 4,396

$266 R 4,441

-1.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,829 R 130.7K

$7,302 R 121.9K

7.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 870

$59.7 R 997

-12.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.93 R 533

$45.22 R 755

-29.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 R 1,533

$94.9 R 1,584

-3.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.2 R 1,372

$89.4 R 1,492

-8.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 R 7,511

$540 R 9,015

-16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,998

$448 R 7,475

-19.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 R 17.4K

$970 R 16.2K

7.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.3K

$844 R 14.1K

-12.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.5K

$842 R 14.1K

3.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 11.1K

$733 R 12.2K

-9.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 R 23.1K

$1,865 R 31.1K

-25.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

3.09%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sandton: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$359 28.1%

Sandton

$448 36.3% 24.6% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$221 17.3%

Sandton

$241 19.5% 9% $20

Getting Around

Pretoria

$202 15.8%

Sandton

$4.7 * 0.4% 97.7% $198

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$192 15%

Sandton

$202 16.4% 5.5% $11

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 11.2%

Sandton

$158 12.8% 10.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$116 9.1%

Sandton

$130 10.5% 12.1% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Sandton

$51 4.1% 11.2% $5.1

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 $540 in Sandton. 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 35% higher in Sandton, 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 $46 in Sandton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $202 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Sandton

🕒 Local time

07:35 7:35 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

222,415

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Pretoria Sandton 42 km

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 Sandton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,919 per month in Pretoria and $1,852 in Sandton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pretoria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $450 there versus $540 in Sandton.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,279 in Pretoria and $1,235 in Sandton. That makes Sandton about 3% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Pretoria and $266 in Sandton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,279 in Pretoria and $1,235 in Sandton. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Sandton has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,235 in Sandton to $1,279 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.