Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rustenburg and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $797 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$797

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rustenburg 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 Rustenburg and in Pretoria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $797 per month in Rustenburg vs $1,279 in Pretoria, rent included.

Rustenburg $797
Pretoria $1,279

A couple spends around $1,316 per month in Rustenburg vs $1,979 in Pretoria, rent included.

Rustenburg $1,316
Pretoria $1,979

A family of three spends $1,834 per month in Rustenburg vs $2,678 in Pretoria, rent included.

Rustenburg $1,834
Pretoria $2,678

Rustenburg is about 38% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rustenburg and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Rustenburg 41% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.87 R 81.3

$9.28 R 155

-47.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.11 R 754

$36.09 R 603

24.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.22 R 104

$5.20 R 87.0

19.62%

Cappuccino

$1.66 R 27.75

$2.18 R 36.49

-23.85%

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

$1.02 R 17.03

$1.03 R 17.20

-0.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R 8.38

$0.85 R 14.12

-41.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R 24.77

$2.61 R 43.68

-43.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.57

$3.24 R 54.1

-34.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.19

$1.17 R 19.53

-11.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 R 15.00

$1.13 R 18.80

-20.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.40

$1.83 R 30.61

-7.10%

Eggs

$2.61 R 43.60

$2.40 R 40.06

8.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.57 R 127

$8.16 R 136

-7.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.04 R 84.3

$4.97 R 83.0

1.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.28 R 105

$7.38 R 123

-14.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.73

$1.70 R 28.44

4.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.20

$1.61 R 26.92

-2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 R 30.00

$1.77 R 29.63

1.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.94

$1.56 R 26.13

-31.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.31 R 21.94

$1.12 R 18.69

16.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 R 18.12

$1.22 R 20.35

-11.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 R 22.34

$1.22 R 20.44

9.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R 14.34

$1.27 R 21.21

-32.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.07 R 51.2

$3.17 R 53.0

-3.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 R 101

$4.94 R 82.6

21.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 R 9.80

$1.50 R 25.05

-60.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.34

$1.92 R 32.00

-52.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 R 79.7

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,989

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.60

$0.29 R 4.83

179.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.86

$0.79 R 13.25

12.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.27 R 238

$14.24 R 238

0.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.16

$1.55 R 25.83

-6.45%

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

$31.6K R 527.3K

$35.0K R 584.6K

-9.80%

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

$31.7K R 529.2K

$35.0K R 584.5K

-9.46%

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

$76.1 R 1,271

$148 R 2,480

-48.76%

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

$13.47 R 225

$36.56 R 611

-63.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.07 R 619

$36.12 R 603

2.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.12 R 637

$31.26 R 522

21.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.11 R 102

$10.56 R 176

-42.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.90 R 81.9

$7.29 R 122

-32.78%

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

$110 R 1,842

$263 R 4,400

-58.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,453 R 91.1K

$7,829 R 130.8K

-30.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.73 R 697

$52.1 R 870

-19.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.31 R 740

$31.93 R 533

38.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,863

$91.8 R 1,534

21.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.3 R 890

$82.2 R 1,373

-35.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 R 5,614

$450 R 7,518

-25.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 R 3,955

$359 R 6,003

-34.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 R 12.0K

$1,040 R 17.4K

-31.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 R 8,609

$735 R 12.3K

-29.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$869 R 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$664 R 11.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,065 R 17.8K

$1,386 R 23.2K

-23.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.9

11.34

-12.70%

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

Last update for Rustenburg: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rustenburg

$237 29.7%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 51.8% $123

Groceries & Markets

Rustenburg

$173 21.7%

Pretoria

$192 15% 10.9% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rustenburg

$127 15.9%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 74.7% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Rustenburg

$113 14.2%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 2.9% $3.3

Eating Out

Rustenburg

$95 12%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 50.2% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Rustenburg

$48 6%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 4.4% $2.1

Getting Around

Rustenburg

$5.3 * 0.7%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 3745% $197

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $336 in Rustenburg 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 30% higher in Pretoria, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Rustenburg versus $36 in Pretoria. Groceries tell a different story – $173 in Rustenburg vs $192 in Pretoria – so Rustenburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

Same time as Rustenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

549,575

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

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Rustenburg Pretoria 95 km

From you

Rustenburg
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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

Rustenburg vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 60%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,196 per month in Rustenburg 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 Rustenburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $797 in Rustenburg and $1,279 in Pretoria. That makes Rustenburg about 38% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $110 per month in Rustenburg and $263 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rustenburg, where all-in costs run around $797, than in Pretoria at $1,279. In Rustenburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pretoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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