Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Springs

For one person, living is cheaper in Springs: $979 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Springs
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Springs Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Springs

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Springs

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

A single person spends $1,279 per month in Pretoria vs $979 in Springs, rent included.

Pretoria $1,279
Springs $979

A couple spends around $1,979 per month in Pretoria vs $1,582 in Springs, rent included.

Pretoria $1,979
Springs $1,582

A family of three spends $2,678 per month in Pretoria vs $2,184 in Springs, rent included.

Pretoria $2,678
Springs $2,184

Pretoria costs about 31% more than Springs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Springs are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 6% lower, Springs 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 R 155

$9.15 R 153

1.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.09 R 603

$35.40 R 592

1.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 R 87.0

$5.18 R 86.5

0.39%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R 36.49

$2.19 R 36.65

-0.46%

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

$1.03 R 17.20

$0.96 R 15.98

7.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 14.12

$0.67 R 11.11

26.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 R 43.68

$1.85 R 30.96

41.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 54.1

$2.13 R 35.64

52.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.53

$1.16 R 19.37

0.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.80

$1.05 R 17.60

7.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.61

$1.77 R 29.62

3.39%

Eggs

$2.40 R 40.06

$2.41 R 40.20

-0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 R 136

$8.43 R 141

-3.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 83.0

$5.00 R 83.5

-0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 R 123

$7.25 R 121

1.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.44

$1.28 R 21.42

32.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.92

$1.08 R 18.04

49.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.63

$1.71 R 28.57

3.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 26.13

$1.20 R 19.98

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.69

$1.06 R 17.71

5.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.35

$1.17 R 19.48

4.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.44

$1.21 R 20.30

0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.21

$0.74 R 12.33

71.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 R 53.0

$3.12 R 52.1

1.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 R 82.6

$4.03 R 67.3

22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 25.05

$1.12 R 18.69

33.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 32.00

$1.71 R 28.56

12.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 R 79.7

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,989

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.83

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.25

$0.80 R 13.45

-1.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.24 R 238

$14.37 R 240

-0.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.83

$1.48 R 24.71

4.73%

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

$35.0K R 584.6K

$35.6K R 594.9K

-1.74%

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

$35.0K R 584.5K

$32.7K R 546.6K

6.93%

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

$148 R 2,480

$148 R 2,474

0.22%

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

$36.56 R 611

$37.52 R 627

-2.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.12 R 603

$35.28 R 589

2.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.26 R 522

$39.37 R 658

-20.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 176

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 122

$7.31 R 122

-0.27%

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

$263 R 4,400

$89.2 R 1,490

195.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,829 R 130.8K

$1,794 R 30.0K

336.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 870

$54.1 R 904

-3.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.93 R 533

$31.78 R 531

0.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 R 1,534

$91.6 R 1,530

0.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.2 R 1,373

$82.0 R 1,371

0.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 R 7,518

$284 R 4,749

58.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 6,003

$275 R 4,598

30.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 R 17.4K

$712 R 11.9K

46.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.3K

$694 R 11.6K

5.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.5K

$1,481 R 24.7K

-41.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 11.1K

$692 R 11.6K

-3.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 R 23.2K

$1,145 R 19.1K

21.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.75

5.49%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Last update for Springs: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$359 28.1%

Springs

$275 28.1% 23.4% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$221 17.3%

Springs

$221 22.6% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Pretoria

$202 15.8%

Springs

$4.3 * 0.4% 97.9% $198

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$192 15%

Springs

$173 17.7% 9.7% $19

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 11.2%

Springs

$135 13.8% 5.6% $8

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$116 9.1%

Springs

$117 11.9% 0.6% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Springs

$54 5.5% 17.8% $8.1

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 $284 in Springs. 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 21% higher in Pretoria, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Pretoria versus $35 in Springs. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $173 – making Springs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Springs

🕒 Local time

03:54 3:54 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

2,996

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Pretoria Springs 62 km

From you

Pretoria
Springs

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 Springs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 31%, 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 $1,469 in Springs. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Springs, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $284 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,279 in Pretoria and $979 in Springs. That makes Springs about 23% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Pretoria and $89 in Springs. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Springs – 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 Springs. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pretoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.