Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pretoria and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,051 a month against $1,278 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index

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Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,278

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pretoria and in Welkom

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

A single person spends $1,278 per month in Pretoria vs $1,051 in Welkom, rent included.

Pretoria $1,278
Welkom $1,051

A couple spends around $1,980 per month in Pretoria vs $1,581 in Welkom, rent included.

Pretoria $1,980
Welkom $1,581

A family of three spends $2,683 per month in Pretoria vs $2,112 in Welkom, rent included.

Pretoria $2,683
Welkom $2,112

Pretoria costs about 22% more than Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pretoria and Welkom are more affordable than the global median – Pretoria 5% lower, Welkom 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.90 R 146

$8.84 R 145

0.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.92 R 606

$20.76 R 341

77.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.30 R 86.9

$5.23 R 85.9

1.34%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 37.61

$2.29 R 37.59

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

$1.06 R 17.41

$0.50 R 8.21

112.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.04

$0.62 R 10.22

38.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 R 38.37

$1.22 R 19.99

91.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 R 56.1

$1.46 R 23.97

134.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.00 R 16.45

13.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.67

$1.01 R 16.57

12.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.04

$1.40 R 23.04

30.71%

Eggs

$2.41 R 39.61

$1.79 R 29.30

34.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.44 R 138

$6.48 R 106

30.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.1

$4.44 R 72.8

12.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.41 R 122

$4.68 R 76.8

58.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.42

$1.54 R 25.32

16.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.59

$1.59 R 26.15

5.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.18

$1.77 R 29.11

0.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.94

$1.23 R 20.18

28.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 R 17.69

$1.12 R 18.45

-3.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.38

$1.22 R 19.97

-3.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 R 19.32

$0.87 R 14.26

35.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.10

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.7

$2.37 R 38.82

37.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 R 84.9

$2.46 R 40.42

110.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.46

$1.54 R 25.19

0.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.83

$1.76 R 28.88

6.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 R 75.3

$1.79 R 29.36

156.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$181 R 2,975

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.10

$0.31 R 5.17

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 12.97

$0.82 R 13.40

-3.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 242

$14.74 R 242

-0.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.09

$1.58 R 25.89

-3.16%

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

$35.7K R 586.2K

$35.3K R 579.6K

1.14%

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

$35.1K R 575.9K

$34.0K R 558.2K

3.17%

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

$150 R 2,459

$153 R 2,515

-2.22%

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

$36.66 R 601

$36.34 R 596

0.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.73 R 603

$36.25 R 595

1.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.99 R 525

$31.57 R 518

1.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.29 R 169

$11.70 R 192

-12.05%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 R 116

$7.37 R 121

-4.07%

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

$261 R 4,281

$256 R 4,205

1.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K R 245.7K

$6,077 R 99.7K

146.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 863

$52.5 R 861

0.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.65 R 536

$31.62 R 519

3.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 R 1,510

$92.4 R 1,516

-0.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,363

$82.7 R 1,357

0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$451 R 7,392

$392 R 6,429

14.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,791

$364 R 5,965

-2.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,023 R 16.8K

$726 R 11.9K

41.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 11.9K

$726 R 11.9K

0.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$875 R 14.4K

$715 R 11.7K

22.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$652 R 10.7K

$621 R 10.2K

5.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,397 R 22.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

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

Last update for Pretoria: November 1, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pretoria

$353 27.6%

Welkom

$364 34.6% 3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pretoria

$223 17.5%

Welkom

$226 21.5% 1.2% $2.6

Getting Around

Pretoria

$204 16%

Welkom

$12 * 1.1% 94.3% $192

Groceries & Markets

Pretoria

$194 15.2%

Welkom

$160 15.2% 17.5% $34

Eating Out

Pretoria

$141 11%

Welkom

$127 12.1% 9.5% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Pretoria

$117 9.2%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 0.5% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Pretoria

$46 3.6%

Welkom

$46 4.4% 0.4% $0.2

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 $392 in Welkom. 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 $21 in Welkom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $160 – making Welkom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

03:29 3:29 AM

Same time as Pretoria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

741,651 Capital

64,130

💱 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

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Between locations

Pretoria Welkom 290 km

From you

Pretoria
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 22%, 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 $1,577 in Welkom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Welkom, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $451 in Pretoria.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,278 in Pretoria and $1,051 in Welkom. That makes Welkom about 18% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Pretoria and $256 in Welkom. 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 $1,051 in Welkom. 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 $1,051 in Welkom to $1,278 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.