Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Tembisa

For one person, living is cheaper in Tembisa: $1,105 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
Learn more

Pretoria Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
Learn more

Tembisa Living Index

Jump to prices

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Tembisa

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

A single person spends $1,279 per month in Pretoria vs $1,105 in Tembisa, rent included.

Pretoria $1,279
Tembisa $1,105

A couple spends around $1,979 per month in Pretoria vs $1,734 in Tembisa, rent included.

Pretoria $1,979
Tembisa $1,734

A family of three spends $2,678 per month in Pretoria vs $2,363 in Tembisa, rent included.

Pretoria $2,678
Tembisa $2,363

Pretoria costs about 16% more than Tembisa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Tembisa are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 6% lower, Tembisa 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 R 155

$9.69 R 161

-4.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.09 R 601

$39.77 R 663

-9.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 R 86.7

$5.82 R 97.0

-10.65%

Cappuccino

$2.18 R 36.39

$2.31 R 38.53

-5.63%

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

$1.03 R 17.16

$1.10 R 18.29

-6.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 14.08

$0.83 R 13.79

2.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 R 43.57

$2.41 R 40.12

8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 54.0

$2.80 R 46.70

15.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.48

$1.17 R 19.53

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.75

$1.10 R 18.37

2.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.53

$1.82 R 30.35

0.55%

Eggs

$2.40 R 39.95

$2.54 R 42.40

-5.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.16 R 136

$8.39 R 140

-2.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 82.8

$4.91 R 81.9

1.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 R 123

$7.19 R 120

2.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.37

$1.81 R 30.09

-6.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.85

$1.69 R 28.11

-4.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.55

$1.73 R 28.76

2.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 26.06

$1.66 R 27.71

-6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.64

$1.46 R 24.26

-23.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.29

$1.45 R 24.12

-15.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.39

$1.24 R 20.62

-1.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.15

$1.16 R 19.41

9.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.17 R 52.9

$3.33 R 55.4

-4.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.94 R 82.3

$5.03 R 83.8

-1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.98

$1.39 R 23.20

7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.92

$1.97 R 32.84

-2.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 R 79.5

$1.56 R 26.03

205.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,981

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.82

$0.64 R 10.61

-54.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.21

$0.93 R 15.53

-15.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.24 R 237

$11.73 R 195

21.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.76

$1.48 R 24.63

4.73%

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

$35.0K R 583.0K

$36.3K R 604.7K

-3.57%

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

$35.0K R 583.0K

$33.3K R 554.9K

5.07%

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

$148 R 2,473

$149 R 2,479

-0.22%

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

$36.56 R 609

$35.37 R 589

3.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.12 R 602

$37.16 R 619

-2.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.26 R 521

$32.03 R 534

-2.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 R 176

$10.74 R 179

-1.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 121

$7.37 R 123

-1.09%

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

$263 R 4,388

$247 R 4,116

6.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,829 R 130.5K

$5,513 R 91.9K

42.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 868

$54.4 R 906

-4.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.93 R 532

$33.07 R 551

-3.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 R 1,530

$101 R 1,687

-9.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.2 R 1,369

$89.2 R 1,486

-7.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 R 7,498

$392 R 6,537

14.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,988

$359 R 5,987

0.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 R 17.3K

$746 R 12.4K

39.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.3K

$753 R 12.5K

-2.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.5K

$877 R 14.6K

-0.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 11.1K

$682 R 11.4K

-2.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 R 23.1K

$566 R 9,430

144.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.94

3.66%

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

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tembisa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$359 28.1%

Tembisa

$359 32.5% 0% $0

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$221 17.3%

Tembisa

$221 20% 0.1% $0.2

Getting Around

Pretoria

$202 15.8%

Tembisa

$12 * 1% 94.3% $191

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$192 15%

Tembisa

$193 17.5% 0.8% $1.5

Eating Out

Pretoria

$143 11.2%

Tembisa

$148 13.4% 3.5% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$116 9.1%

Tembisa

$125 11.3% 7.7% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Tembisa

$47 4.2% 2.1% $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 $392 in Tembisa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Pretoria are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Pretoria versus $40 in Tembisa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $193 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

463,109

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pretoria Tembisa 31 km

From you

Pretoria
Tembisa

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 Tembisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 16%, 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 $1,658 in Tembisa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tembisa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Pretoria and $40 in Tembisa. 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 $247 in Tembisa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,279 in Pretoria and $1,105 in Tembisa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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