Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Soweto

For one person, living is cheaper in Soweto: $1,115 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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 Soweto
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Soweto Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Soweto

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,115

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Soweto

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Pretoria vs $1,115 in Soweto, rent included.

Pretoria $1,278
Soweto $1,115

A couple spends around $1,980 per month in Pretoria vs $1,661 in Soweto, rent included.

Pretoria $1,980
Soweto $1,661

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Pretoria vs $2,207 in Soweto, rent included.

Pretoria $2,683
Soweto $2,207

Pretoria costs about 15% more than Soweto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 146

$8.77 R 144

1.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 606

$36.51 R 599

1.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 86.9

$5.33 R 87.4

-0.56%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.61

$2.17 R 35.65

5.53%

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

$1.06 R 17.41

$1.08 R 17.70

-1.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.04

$0.85 R 13.89

1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.37

$2.34 R 38.40

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 56.1

$2.68 R 43.91

27.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.13 R 18.56

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.67

$1.09 R 17.89

4.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.04

$1.78 R 29.18

2.81%

Eggs

$2.41 R 39.61

$2.54 R 41.74

-5.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 138

$8.26 R 136

2.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.1

$5.18 R 84.9

-3.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 122

$7.22 R 118

2.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.42

$1.80 R 29.54

-0.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.59

$1.69 R 27.66

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.18

$1.80 R 29.49

-1.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.94

$1.63 R 26.79

-3.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.69

$1.08 R 17.68

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.38

$1.16 R 19.10

1.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.32

$1.21 R 19.91

-2.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.10

$1.32 R 21.60

-2.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.7

$3.32 R 54.4

-1.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 84.9

$5.20 R 85.4

-0.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.46

$1.58 R 25.94

-1.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.83

$1.88 R 30.89

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 75.3

$1.93 R 31.66

137.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,975

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.10

$0.31 R 5.14

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 12.97

$0.80 R 13.09

-1.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 242

$14.69 R 241

0.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.09

$1.52 R 24.86

0.66%

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

$35.7K R 586.2K

$35.5K R 582.6K

0.62%

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

$35.1K R 575.9K

$34.7K R 570.1K

1.02%

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

$150 R 2,459

$153 R 2,513

-2.12%

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

$36.66 R 601

$36.76 R 603

-0.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 603

$37.23 R 611

-1.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 525

$35.03 R 575

-8.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 169

$12.27 R 201

-16.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 R 116

$7.23 R 119

-2.21%

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

$261 R 4,281

$245 R 4,025

6.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 245.7K

$6,030 R 98.9K

148.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 863

$52.2 R 857

0.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 536

$32.63 R 535

0.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,510

$93.6 R 1,536

-1.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,363

$83.5 R 1,369

-0.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,392

$419 R 6,876

7.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,791

$377 R 6,181

-6.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 16.8K

$622 R 10.2K

64.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 11.9K

$635 R 10.4K

14.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$708 R 11.6K

23.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$732 R 12.0K

-10.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 22.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.91

3.94%

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Soweto: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

Soweto

$377 33.8% 6.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

Soweto

$227 20.4% 1.7% $3.9

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

Soweto

$12 * 1.1% 94.1% $192

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

Soweto

$195 17.5% 0.3% $0.7

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

Soweto

$137 12.3% 2.7% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

Soweto

$118 10.6% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Soweto

$50 4.4% 7.3% $3.4

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 $419 in Soweto. 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 Soweto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $195 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Soweto

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

1,270,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Pretoria Soweto 61 km

From you

Pretoria
Soweto

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 Soweto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 15%, 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 $1,672 in Soweto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $451 in Pretoria and $419 in Soweto. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,115 in Soweto. That makes Soweto about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Pretoria and $245 in Soweto. 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 $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,115 in Soweto. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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