Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Secunda

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,027 a month against $1,339 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,339

/mo nomad

Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Secunda

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

A single person spends $1,339 per month in Pretoria vs $1,027 in Secunda, rent included.

Pretoria $1,339
Secunda $1,027

A couple spends around $2,036 per month in Pretoria vs $1,667 in Secunda, rent included.

Pretoria $2,036
Secunda $1,667

A family of three spends $2,733 per month in Pretoria vs $2,306 in Secunda, rent included.

Pretoria $2,733
Secunda $2,306

Pretoria costs about 30% more than Secunda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Secunda are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 1% lower, Secunda 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.04 R 149

$6.20 R 102

45.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.60 R 619

$30.52 R 503

23.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 R 89.6

$5.22 R 86.0

4.21%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R 37.95

$2.27 R 37.42

1.32%

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

$1.07 R 17.66

$0.81 R 13.38

32.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.24

$0.51 R 8.33

68.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 R 42.38

$1.07 R 17.59

140.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 R 56.7

$1.38 R 22.72

149.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 19.79

$1.16 R 19.14

3.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.87 R 14.33

31.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.70

$1.84 R 30.33

1.09%

Eggs

$2.43 R 39.96

$2.43 R 40.04

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.25 R 136

$8.53 R 141

-3.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 R 80.8

$4.88 R 80.4

0.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.15 R 118

$7.11 R 117

0.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.85

$1.75 R 28.78

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.37

$1.68 R 27.69

-1.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.58

$1.80 R 29.60

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.87

$1.65 R 27.15

-4.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R 18.04

$1.12 R 18.50

-1.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.38

$1.18 R 19.52

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.48

$1.24 R 20.38

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.24

$1.30 R 21.48

-0.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$3.35 R 55.3

-2.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.07 R 83.5

$5.01 R 82.6

1.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.01

$1.53 R 25.21

-0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R 31.36

$1.92 R 31.66

-1.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 R 76.8

$1.37 R 22.65

240.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.75

$0.29 R 4.74

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R 13.31

$0.76 R 12.51

6.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.57 R 240

$14.36 R 237

1.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 R 25.71

$1.57 R 25.85

-0.64%

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

$36.6K R 602.4K

$35.7K R 587.4K

2.56%

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

$35.2K R 579.9K

$35.5K R 584.4K

-0.77%

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

$153 R 2,521

$156 R 2,569

-1.89%

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

$37.02 R 610

$38.00 R 626

-2.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$37.12 R 612

1.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.21 R 531

$32.65 R 538

-1.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.68 R 176

$10.92 R 180

-2.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 R 117

$7.33 R 121

-3.14%

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

$268 R 4,410

$91.7 R 1,510

192.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,081 R 133.1K

$5,457 R 89.9K

48.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 R 891

$54.3 R 895

-0.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.75 R 540

$32.82 R 541

-0.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 R 1,520

$94.2 R 1,553

-2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.6 R 1,394

$82.6 R 1,360

2.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 R 7,495

$403 R 6,638

12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,704

$324 R 5,336

25.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 R 16.2K

$708 R 11.7K

38.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 R 12.6K

$841 R 13.8K

-8.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$895 R 14.7K

$839 R 13.8K

6.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$716 R 11.8K

$602 R 9,912

18.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,417 R 23.3K

$1,466 R 24.2K

-3.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 17, 2026

Last update for Secunda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$407 30.4%

Secunda

$324 31.5% 20.4% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$228 17%

Secunda

$231 22.5% 1.5% $3.4

Getting Around

Pretoria

$202 15.1%

Secunda

$9.6 * 0.9% 95.3% $193

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$193 14.4%

Secunda

$191 18.6% 1% $1.9

Eating Out

Pretoria

$144 10.7%

Secunda

$106 10.3% 26.3% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$119 8.9%

Secunda

$119 11.6% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.5%

Secunda

$47 4.6% 2% $0.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Pretoria versus $403 in Secunda. 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 3% higher in Secunda, 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 $38.00 in Pretoria versus $31.00 in Secunda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $191 – making Secunda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Secunda

🕒 Local time

13:36 1:36 PM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

40,198

💱 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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Pretoria Secunda 130 km

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Pretoria
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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 Secunda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 30%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,008 per month in Pretoria and $1,541 in Secunda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,339 in Pretoria and $1,027 in Secunda. That's a gap of about 30%.

Kindergarten costs $268 per month in Pretoria and $91.7 in Secunda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Secunda, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Pretoria at $1,339. In Secunda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pretoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Secunda – 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 Secunda. 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.