Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Sun City

For one person, living costs are similar in Pretoria and in Sun City: $1,279 and $1,270 a month, rent and utilities included.

62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
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Sun City Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Sun City

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

A single person spends $1,279 per month in Pretoria vs $1,270 in Sun City, rent included.

Pretoria $1,279
Sun City $1,270

A couple spends around $1,979 per month in Pretoria vs $1,953 in Sun City, rent included.

Pretoria $1,979
Sun City $1,953

A family of three spends $2,678 per month in Pretoria vs $2,636 in Sun City, rent included.

Pretoria $2,678
Sun City $2,636

Pretoria and Sun City have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Pretoria and Sun City are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 6% lower, Sun City 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 R 155

$11.96 R 199

-22.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.09 R 601

$46.28 R 771

-22.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 R 86.7

$7.46 R 124

-30.29%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R 36.39

$2.50 R 41.70

-12.80%

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

$1.03 R 17.16

$1.26 R 21.01

-18.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 14.08

$0.99 R 16.47

-14.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 R 43.57

$2.45 R 40.80

6.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 54.0

$2.76 R 46.01

17.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.48

$1.33 R 22.14

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.75

$1.20 R 20.05

-5.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.53

$1.73 R 28.85

5.78%

Eggs

$2.40 R 39.95

$2.79 R 46.42

-13.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 R 136

$8.93 R 149

-8.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 82.8

$5.65 R 94.1

-12.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 R 123

$8.75 R 146

-15.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.37

$2.10 R 35.07

-19.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.85

$1.87 R 31.17

-13.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.55

$1.82 R 30.35

-2.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 26.06

$2.14 R 35.68

-27.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.64

$1.65 R 27.43

-32.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.29

$1.79 R 29.80

-31.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.39

$1.45 R 24.20

-15.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.15

$1.30 R 21.70

-2.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 R 52.9

$3.51 R 58.5

-9.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 R 82.3

$6.02 R 100

-17.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.98

$1.81 R 30.11

-17.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.92

$2.31 R 38.43

-16.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 R 79.5

$1.55 R 25.83

207.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,981

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.82

$0.88 R 14.68

-67.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.21

$0.95 R 15.82

-16.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.24 R 237

$14.33 R 239

-0.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.76

$1.56 R 26.08

-0.64%

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

$35.0K R 583.0K

$35.8K R 596.0K

-2.17%

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

$35.0K R 583.0K

$34.8K R 580.3K

0.46%

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

$148 R 2,473

$229 R 3,823

-35.30%

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

$36.56 R 609

$38.97 R 649

-6.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.12 R 602

$37.57 R 626

-3.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.26 R 521

$32.51 R 542

-3.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 176

$11.11 R 185

-4.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 121

$8.49 R 142

-14.13%

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

$263 R 4,388

$246 R 4,106

6.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,829 R 130.5K

$5,591 R 93.2K

40.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 868

$58.9 R 982

-11.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.93 R 532

$45.49 R 758

-29.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 R 1,530

$115 R 1,922

-20.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.2 R 1,369

$111 R 1,854

-26.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 R 7,498

$397 R 6,607

13.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,988

$359 R 5,982

0.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 R 17.3K

$724 R 12.1K

43.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.3K

$727 R 12.1K

1.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.5K

$874 R 14.6K

-0.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 11.1K

$681 R 11.3K

-2.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 R 23.1K

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: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sun City: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$359 28.1%

Sun City

$359 28.3% 0.1% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$221 17.3%

Sun City

$306 24.1% 38.4% $85

Getting Around

Pretoria

$202 15.8%

Sun City

$12 * 0.9% 94.2% $190

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$192 15%

Sun City

$220 17.3% 14.9% $29

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 11.2%

Sun City

$175 13.8% 22.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$116 9.1%

Sun City

$149 11.7% 28.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Sun City

$50 3.9% 8% $3.7

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 $397 in Sun City. 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 $36 in Pretoria versus $46 in Sun City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $220 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Sun City

🕒 Local time

01:47 1:47 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

1,556

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Sun City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,919 per month in Pretoria and $1,905 in Sun City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sun City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Pretoria and $46 in Sun City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $263 per month in Pretoria and $246 in Sun City. 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 $1,279 in Pretoria and $1,270 in Sun City. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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