Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Scottburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Scottburgh: $1,105 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Scottburgh
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Scottburgh Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Scottburgh

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Scottburgh

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Pretoria vs $1,105 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Pretoria $1,278
Scottburgh $1,105

A couple spends around $1,980 per month in Pretoria vs $1,736 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Pretoria $1,980
Scottburgh $1,736

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Pretoria vs $2,368 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Pretoria $2,683
Scottburgh $2,368

Pretoria costs about 16% more than Scottburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Scottburgh are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 5% lower, Scottburgh 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 148

$8.66 R 144

2.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 613

$36.96 R 613

-0.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 87.9

$6.09 R 101

-12.97%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 38.03

$2.59 R 43.05

-11.58%

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

$1.06 R 17.60

$1.10 R 18.28

-3.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.20

$0.82 R 13.53

4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.80

$2.35 R 38.98

-0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 56.7

$2.34 R 38.83

46.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.81

$1.24 R 20.50

-8.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.88

$0.96 R 15.91

18.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.37

$1.49 R 24.70

22.82%

Eggs

$2.41 R 40.05

$2.29 R 37.98

5.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 140

$8.04 R 133

4.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 83.0

$5.21 R 86.5

-4.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 123

$7.26 R 120

2.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.75

$1.97 R 32.71

-9.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.90

$1.86 R 30.92

-9.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.51

$1.94 R 32.24

-8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.23

$1.60 R 26.61

-1.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.89

$1.51 R 25.03

-28.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.59

$1.37 R 22.69

-13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.54

$1.16 R 19.20

1.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.34

$1.18 R 19.62

9.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 54.3

$3.54 R 58.7

-7.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 85.8

$4.87 R 80.8

6.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.75

$1.50 R 24.84

3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 31.17

$2.02 R 33.51

-6.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 76.2

$1.88 R 31.26

144.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 3,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.16

$0.44 R 7.24

-29.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.12

$0.71 R 11.73

11.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 244

$7.73 R 128

90.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.37

$1.50 R 24.85

2.00%

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

$35.7K R 592.8K

$35.9K R 596.4K

-0.61%

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

$35.1K R 582.4K

$34.1K R 565.6K

2.96%

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

$150 R 2,487

$149 R 2,473

0.56%

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

$36.66 R 608

$38.28 R 635

-4.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 609

$39.10 R 649

-6.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 531

$30.86 R 512

3.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 171

$13.26 R 220

-22.40%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 R 117

$7.54 R 125

-6.23%

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

$261 R 4,329

$311 R 5,166

-16.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 248.5K

$7,387 R 122.6K

102.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 872

$52.5 R 871

0.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 542

$27.25 R 452

19.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,527

$95.5 R 1,584

-3.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,378

$83.8 R 1,391

-0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,474

$361 R 5,996

24.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,856

$368 R 6,113

-4.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 17.0K

$821 R 13.6K

24.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$792 R 13.1K

-8.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.5K

$759 R 12.6K

15.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.8K

$715 R 11.9K

-8.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 23.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.7

-3.08%

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Scottburgh: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

Scottburgh

$368 33.4% 4.4% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

Scottburgh

$226 20.5% 1.4% $3.2

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

Scottburgh

$12 * 1% 94.4% $192

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

Scottburgh

$193 17.5% 0.4% $0.7

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

Scottburgh

$143 12.9% 1.4% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

Scottburgh

$117 10.6% 0.5% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Scottburgh

$46 4.2% 0.4% $0.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $451 in Pretoria versus $361 in Scottburgh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Pretoria versus $37 in Scottburgh. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Pretoria vs $193 in Scottburgh – so Scottburgh wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Scottburgh

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

23,949

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Pretoria Scottburgh 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
Scottburgh

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 Scottburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,917 per month in Pretoria and $1,657 in Scottburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Scottburgh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $361 there versus $451 in Pretoria.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,105 in Scottburgh. That makes Scottburgh about 14% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Pretoria and $311 in Scottburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,105 in Scottburgh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.