Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and St Francis Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $979 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Pretoria vs $979 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Pretoria $1,278
St Francis Bay $979

A couple spends around $1,980 per month in Pretoria vs $1,629 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Pretoria $1,980
St Francis Bay $1,629

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Pretoria vs $2,279 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Pretoria $2,683
St Francis Bay $2,279

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

Both Pretoria and St Francis Bay are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 5% lower, St Francis Bay 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 146

$10.81 R 177

-17.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 606

$41.74 R 685

-11.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 86.9

$3.53 R 58.0

50.14%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.61

$2.14 R 35.06

7.01%

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

$1.06 R 17.41

$1.01 R 16.62

4.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.04

$0.72 R 11.89

19.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.37

$2.06 R 33.72

13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 56.1

$1.84 R 30.24

85.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.94 R 15.43

20.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.67

$1.00 R 16.33

14.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.04

$1.50 R 24.64

22.00%

Eggs

$2.41 R 39.61

$2.70 R 44.32

-10.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 138

$7.11 R 117

18.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.1

$5.22 R 85.7

-4.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 122

$8.63 R 142

-14.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.42

$2.18 R 35.71

-17.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.59

$1.46 R 23.93

15.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.18

$1.70 R 27.96

4.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.94

$1.81 R 29.62

-12.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.69

$1.74 R 28.48

-37.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.38

$1.37 R 22.56

-13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.32

$1.24 R 20.29

-4.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.10

$1.03 R 16.84

25.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.7

$3.14 R 51.5

4.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 84.9

$4.74 R 77.7

9.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.46

$1.27 R 20.84

22.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.83

$1.81 R 29.72

3.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 75.3

$1.78 R 29.16

157.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,975

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.10

$0.82 R 13.44

-62.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 12.97

$0.46 R 7.51

71.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 242

$8.62 R 141

70.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.09

$1.31 R 21.44

16.79%

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

$35.7K R 586.2K

$21.0K R 344.6K

70.11%

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

$35.1K R 575.9K

$35.2K R 577.0K

-0.18%

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

$150 R 2,459

$60.8 R 997

146.73%

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

$36.66 R 601

$34.39 R 564

6.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 603

$41.35 R 679

-11.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 525

$28.64 R 470

11.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 169

$12.00 R 197

-14.25%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 R 116

$9.20 R 151

-23.15%

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

$261 R 4,281

$179 R 2,934

45.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 245.7K

$6,135 R 100.7K

144.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 863

$71.9 R 1,179

-26.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 536

$39.31 R 645

-16.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,510

$112 R 1,842

-17.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,363

$95.1 R 1,560

-12.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,392

$420 R 6,891

7.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,791

$308 R 5,056

14.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 16.8K

$834 R 13.7K

22.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 11.9K

$711 R 11.7K

2.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$784 R 12.9K

11.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$648 R 10.6K

0.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 22.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.94

-5.03%

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for St Francis Bay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

St Francis Bay

$308 31.5% 12.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

St Francis Bay

$136 14% 38.9% $87

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

St Francis Bay

$10 * 1% 95% $194

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

St Francis Bay

$190 19.4% 2.2% $4.3

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

St Francis Bay

$144 14.7% 2% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

St Francis Bay

$143 14.7% 22.3% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

St Francis Bay

$47 4.8% 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 $451 in Pretoria versus $420 in St Francis Bay. 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 $42 in St Francis Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Pretoria vs $190 in St Francis Bay – so St Francis Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

5,910

💱 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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Between locations

Pretoria St Francis Bay 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay: 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 $1,917 per month in Pretoria and $1,468 in St Francis Bay. 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 $420 in St Francis Bay. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Pretoria and $42 in St Francis Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Pretoria and $179 in St Francis Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in St Francis Bay, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Pretoria at $1,278. In St Francis Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pretoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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