Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Stellenbosch

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,174 a month against $1,339 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,339

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Stellenbosch

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

A single person spends $1,339 per month in Pretoria vs $1,174 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Pretoria $1,339
Stellenbosch $1,174

A couple spends around $2,036 per month in Pretoria vs $1,947 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Pretoria $2,036
Stellenbosch $1,947

A family of three spends $2,733 per month in Pretoria vs $2,721 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Pretoria $2,733
Stellenbosch $2,721

Pretoria costs about 14% more than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Stellenbosch are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 1% lower, Stellenbosch 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.04 R 149

$7.50 R 124

20.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.60 R 619

$36.96 R 609

1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 R 89.6

$4.97 R 81.9

9.46%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R 37.95

$2.13 R 35.16

7.98%

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

$1.07 R 17.66

$1.00 R 16.45

7.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.24

$0.73 R 12.06

17.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 R 42.38

$2.66 R 43.84

-3.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 R 56.7

$3.17 R 52.2

8.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 19.79

$1.35 R 22.30

-11.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.15 R 19.00

-0.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.70

$1.80 R 29.63

3.33%

Eggs

$2.43 R 39.96

$2.85 R 47.01

-14.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.25 R 136

$8.75 R 144

-5.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 R 80.8

$5.94 R 97.9

-17.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.15 R 118

$7.50 R 124

-4.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.85

$1.75 R 28.90

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.37

$1.48 R 24.42

12.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.58

$1.73 R 28.56

4.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.87

$1.54 R 25.45

1.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R 18.04

$1.08 R 17.86

1.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.38

$1.56 R 25.77

-24.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.48

$1.36 R 22.37

-8.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.24

$1.19 R 19.54

8.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$3.75 R 61.8

-12.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.07 R 83.5

$6.13 R 101

-17.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.01

$1.35 R 22.30

12.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R 31.36

$2.16 R 35.56

-12.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 R 76.8

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,957

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.75

$0.60 R 9.87

-51.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R 13.31

$1.49 R 24.55

-45.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.57 R 240

$5.12 R 84.4

184.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 R 25.71

$1.38 R 22.79

13.04%

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

$36.6K R 602.4K

$35.5K R 585.4K

2.91%

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

$35.2K R 579.9K

$34.0K R 560.3K

3.51%

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

$153 R 2,521

$103 R 1,701

48.21%

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

$37.02 R 610

$29.34 R 483

26.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 620

$34.40 R 567

9.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.21 R 531

$29.41 R 485

9.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.68 R 176

$17.07 R 281

-37.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 R 117

$8.74 R 144

-18.76%

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

$268 R 4,410

$266 R 4,381

0.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,081 R 133.1K

$2,413 R 39.8K

234.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 R 891

$52.4 R 864

3.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.75 R 540

$28.86 R 476

13.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 R 1,520

$120 R 1,982

-23.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.6 R 1,394

$89.6 R 1,476

-5.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 R 7,495

$677 R 11.2K

-32.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$407 R 6,704

$490 R 8,078

-17.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$983 R 16.2K

$1,475 R 24.3K

-33.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$765 R 12.6K

$1,196 R 19.7K

-36.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$895 R 14.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$716 R 11.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,417 R 23.3K

$2,583 R 42.6K

-45.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.7

5.98%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 17, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$407 30.4%

Stellenbosch

$490 41.8% 20.5% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$228 17%

Stellenbosch

$167 14.2% 26.7% $61

Getting Around

Pretoria

$202 15.1%

Stellenbosch

$8.1 * 0.7% 96% $194

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$193 14.4%

Stellenbosch

$204 17.4% 5.8% $11

Eating Out

Pretoria

$144 10.7%

Stellenbosch

$127 10.8% 11.6% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$119 8.9%

Stellenbosch

$131 11.2% 10.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.5%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 1.1% $0.5

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 $677 in Stellenbosch. 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 82% higher in Stellenbosch, 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 $37.00 in Stellenbosch. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Pretoria vs $204 in Stellenbosch – so Pretoria wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

14:31 2:31 PM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

19,068

💱 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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Between locations

Pretoria Stellenbosch 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
Stellenbosch

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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 14%, 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 $1,761 in Stellenbosch. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stellenbosch, 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 $1,174 in Stellenbosch. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $268 per month in Pretoria and $266 in Stellenbosch. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Stellenbosch, where all-in costs run around $1,174, than in Pretoria at $1,339. In Stellenbosch it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pretoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stellenbosch – 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 Stellenbosch. 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.