Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Randburg and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Randburg: $1,061 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Randburg
Learn more

Randburg Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
Learn more

Pretoria Living Index

Jump to prices

Randburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,061

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Randburg and in Pretoria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Randburg and in Pretoria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,061 per month in Randburg vs $1,279 in Pretoria, rent included.

Randburg $1,061
Pretoria $1,279

A couple spends around $1,716 per month in Randburg vs $1,979 in Pretoria, rent included.

Randburg $1,716
Pretoria $1,979

A family of three spends $2,370 per month in Randburg vs $2,678 in Pretoria, rent included.

Randburg $2,370
Pretoria $2,678

Randburg is about 17% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Randburg and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Randburg 22% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.36 R 173

$9.28 R 155

11.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.80 R 749

$36.09 R 603

24.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 R 88.3

$5.20 R 87.0

1.73%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R 41.53

$2.18 R 36.49

14.22%

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

$1.27 R 21.29

$1.03 R 17.20

23.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.24

$0.85 R 14.12

7.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 R 43.02

$2.61 R 43.68

-1.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 R 54.9

$3.24 R 54.1

1.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R 21.27

$1.17 R 19.53

8.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 19.06

$1.13 R 18.80

0.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.43

$1.83 R 30.61

-7.10%

Eggs

$2.74 R 45.85

$2.40 R 40.06

14.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 R 143

$8.16 R 136

5.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.62 R 93.8

$4.97 R 83.0

13.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.17 R 120

$7.38 R 123

-2.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 R 33.13

$1.70 R 28.44

16.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.68

$1.61 R 26.92

-0.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.22

$1.77 R 29.63

2.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.92

$1.56 R 26.13

3.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.27

$1.12 R 18.69

50.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.81

$1.22 R 20.35

36.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 R 19.29

$1.22 R 20.44

-5.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.56

$1.27 R 21.21

1.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 R 57.1

$3.17 R 53.0

7.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.96 R 82.8

$4.94 R 82.6

0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 25.28

$1.50 R 25.05

0.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R 36.01

$1.92 R 32.00

12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 R 79.7

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,989

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.83

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.37

$0.79 R 13.25

16.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.52 R 243

$14.24 R 238

1.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.66

$1.55 R 25.83

-4.52%

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

$35.6K R 594.2K

$35.0K R 584.6K

1.65%

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

$34.7K R 579.2K

$35.0K R 584.5K

-0.90%

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

$152 R 2,535

$148 R 2,480

2.22%

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

$38.96 R 651

$36.56 R 611

6.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.21 R 622

$36.12 R 603

3.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.38 R 341

$31.26 R 522

-34.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.46 R 74.6

$10.56 R 176

-57.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R 123

$7.29 R 122

0.82%

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

$262 R 4,377

$263 R 4,400

-0.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,433 R 90.8K

$7,829 R 130.8K

-30.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 R 899

$52.1 R 870

3.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.23 R 756

$31.93 R 533

41.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,882

$91.8 R 1,534

22.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.7 R 1,381

$82.2 R 1,373

0.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 R 5,235

$450 R 7,518

-30.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 R 5,042

$359 R 6,003

-16.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 R 10.3K

$1,040 R 17.4K

-40.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 R 11.9K

$735 R 12.3K

-3.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$608 R 10.2K

$869 R 14.5K

-30.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.8K

$664 R 11.1K

14.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,885 R 31.5K

$1,386 R 23.2K

35.98%

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 Randburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Randburg

$302 28.4%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 19.1% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Randburg

$228 21.5%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 3% $6.8

Groceries & Markets

Randburg

$202 19.1%

Pretoria

$192 15% 5.3% $11

Eating Out

Randburg

$157 14.8%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 8.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Randburg

$132 12.5%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 12.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Randburg

$35 3.3%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 30.6% $11

Getting Around

Randburg

$4.9 * 0.5%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 4036% $197

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $313 in Randburg versus $450 in Pretoria. 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 36% higher in Randburg, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Randburg versus $36 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $202 vs $192 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Randburg

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

20:49 8:49 PM

Same time as Randburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

335,000

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Randburg Pretoria 43 km

From you

Randburg
Pretoria

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

Randburg vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,592 per month in Randburg and $1,919 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Randburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $313 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,061 in Randburg and $1,279 in Pretoria. That makes Randburg about 17% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $262 per month in Randburg and $263 in Pretoria. 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 $1,061 in Randburg and $1,279 in Pretoria. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Randburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,061 in Randburg to $1,279 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.