Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Uitenhage

For one person, living is cheaper in Uitenhage: $1,143 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
Learn more

Pretoria Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Uitenhage
Learn more

Uitenhage Living Index

Jump to prices

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Uitenhage

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Uitenhage

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Pretoria vs $1,143 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Pretoria $1,278
Uitenhage $1,143

A couple spends around $1,980 per month in Pretoria vs $1,824 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Pretoria $1,980
Uitenhage $1,824

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Pretoria vs $2,505 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Pretoria $2,683
Uitenhage $2,505

Pretoria costs about 12% more than Uitenhage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Uitenhage are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 5% lower, Uitenhage 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 146

$10.77 R 177

-17.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 606

$42.65 R 700

-13.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 86.9

$5.76 R 94.5

-7.99%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.61

$2.09 R 34.30

9.57%

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

$1.06 R 17.41

$1.05 R 17.16

0.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.04

$0.78 R 12.74

10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.37

$2.67 R 43.73

-12.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 56.1

$3.14 R 51.5

8.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.13 R 18.53

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.67

$0.87 R 14.22

31.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.04

$1.45 R 23.82

26.21%

Eggs

$2.41 R 39.61

$2.80 R 46.00

-13.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 138

$8.70 R 143

-2.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.1

$5.51 R 90.4

-9.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 122

$8.71 R 143

-14.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.42

$2.13 R 34.91

-15.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.59

$1.52 R 24.96

10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.18

$1.70 R 27.84

4.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.94

$1.81 R 29.74

-12.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.69

$1.71 R 28.10

-36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.38

$1.37 R 22.51

-13.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.32

$1.29 R 21.19

-8.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.10

$0.98 R 16.13

31.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.7

$3.09 R 50.7

5.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 84.9

$3.71 R 60.9

39.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.46

$1.21 R 19.80

28.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.83

$1.80 R 29.54

4.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 75.3

$1.88 R 30.81

144.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,975

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.10

$0.83 R 13.68

-62.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 12.97

$0.50 R 8.16

58.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 242

$8.40 R 138

75.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.09

$1.55 R 25.47

-1.29%

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

$35.7K R 586.2K

$34.7K R 569.8K

2.87%

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

$35.1K R 575.9K

$35.1K R 575.2K

0.13%

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

$150 R 2,459

$123 R 2,016

22.00%

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

$36.66 R 601

$34.24 R 562

7.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 603

$45.02 R 739

-18.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 525

$36.88 R 605

-13.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 169

$11.81 R 194

-12.87%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 R 116

$10.65 R 175

-33.62%

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

$261 R 4,281

$178 R 2,920

46.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 245.7K

$6,095 R 100.0K

145.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 863

$71.4 R 1,171

-26.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 536

$39.47 R 648

-17.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,510

$112 R 1,835

-17.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,363

$97.4 R 1,598

-14.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,392

$446 R 7,315

1.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,791

$378 R 6,200

-6.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 16.8K

$826 R 13.6K

23.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 11.9K

$808 R 13.3K

-9.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$651 R 10.7K

34.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$671 R 11.0K

-2.81%

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 Uitenhage: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

Uitenhage

$378 33.1% 7.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

Uitenhage

$202 17.7% 9.5% $21

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

Uitenhage

$11 * 1% 94.7% $193

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

Uitenhage

$194 17% 0.2% $0.3

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

Uitenhage

$155 13.6% 10.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

Uitenhage

$144 12.6% 22.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Uitenhage

$58 5.1% 26.1% $12

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 $446 in Uitenhage. 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 $43 in Uitenhage. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $194 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Uitenhage

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

103,639

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pretoria Uitenhage 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
Uitenhage

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 Uitenhage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 12%, 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 $1,714 in Uitenhage. 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 $446 in Uitenhage. 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 $43 in Uitenhage. 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 $178 in Uitenhage. 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 $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,143 in Uitenhage. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Pretoria has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,143 in Uitenhage to $1,278 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.