Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,094 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
Learn more

Pretoria Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
Learn more

Upington Living Index

Jump to prices

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Upington

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Pretoria vs $1,094 in Upington, rent included.

Pretoria $1,278
Upington $1,094

A couple spends around $1,980 per month in Pretoria vs $1,708 in Upington, rent included.

Pretoria $1,980
Upington $1,708

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Pretoria vs $2,321 in Upington, rent included.

Pretoria $2,683
Upington $2,321

Pretoria costs about 17% more than Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Upington are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 5% lower, Upington 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 147

$11.81 R 195

-24.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 608

$36.69 R 605

0.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 87.3

$5.79 R 95.4

-8.46%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.77

$1.68 R 27.74

36.31%

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

$1.06 R 17.48

$1.03 R 17.05

2.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.10

$0.70 R 11.59

22.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.53

$1.73 R 28.47

35.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 56.3

$2.75 R 45.34

24.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.68

$0.93 R 15.38

21.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.17 R 19.26

-2.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.66 R 27.32

10.24%

Eggs

$2.41 R 39.78

$2.73 R 45.06

-11.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 139

$8.17 R 135

3.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.4

$4.55 R 74.9

9.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 122

$8.30 R 137

-10.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.54

$1.68 R 27.75

6.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.71

$1.80 R 29.65

-6.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.31

$2.01 R 33.11

-11.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.05

$1.61 R 26.47

-1.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.77

$1.53 R 25.19

-29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.46

$1.26 R 20.77

-6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.41

$1.30 R 21.44

-9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.19

$1.09 R 17.98

18.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$2.69 R 44.32

21.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 85.2

$3.81 R 62.8

35.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.57

$1.34 R 22.13

15.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.96

$1.81 R 29.80

3.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 75.7

$1.61 R 26.55

185.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,988

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.13

$0.85 R 13.93

-63.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.03

$0.83 R 13.71

-4.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 243

$11.98 R 197

22.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.20

$1.52 R 24.98

0.66%

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

$35.7K R 588.8K

$39.7K R 653.4K

-9.89%

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

$35.1K R 578.4K

$32.1K R 529.4K

9.26%

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

$150 R 2,470

$146 R 2,407

2.61%

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

$36.66 R 604

$30.89 R 509

18.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 605

$36.70 R 605

0.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 527

$32.48 R 535

-1.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 170

$11.37 R 187

-9.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 R 117

$6.65 R 110

6.32%

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

$261 R 4,300

$102 R 1,676

156.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 246.8K

$6,021 R 99.2K

148.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 867

$51.4 R 848

2.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 538

$32.50 R 536

0.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,517

$89.9 R 1,482

2.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,369

$89.5 R 1,475

-7.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,424

$398 R 6,552

13.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,817

$362 R 5,972

-2.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 16.9K

$598 R 9,853

71.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.0K

$743 R 12.2K

-2.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$729 R 12.0K

20.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.8K

$633 R 10.4K

3.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 23.0K

$780 R 12.8K

79.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.38

-0.35%

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Upington: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

Upington

$362 33.1% 2.7% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

Upington

$214 19.5% 4.3% $9.6

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

Upington

$11 * 1.1% 94.4% $193

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

Upington

$189 17.3% 2.4% $4.6

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

Upington

$153 14% 8.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

Upington

$119 10.8% 1.2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Upington

$46 4.2% 0.7% $0.3

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 $398 in Upington. 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 79% higher in Pretoria. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Pretoria versus $37 in Upington. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Pretoria vs $189 in Upington – so Upington wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

74,834

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pretoria Upington 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Pretoria
Upington

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 Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 17%, 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 $1,641 in Upington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $398 there versus $451 in Pretoria.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,094 in Upington. That makes Upington about 14% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Pretoria and $102 in Upington. 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 $1,094 in Upington. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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