Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset West and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,160 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,160 per month in Somerset West vs $1,279 in Pretoria, rent included.

Somerset West $1,160
Pretoria $1,279

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Somerset West vs $1,979 in Pretoria, rent included.

Somerset West $1,888
Pretoria $1,979

A family of three spends $2,615 per month in Somerset West vs $2,678 in Pretoria, rent included.

Somerset West $2,615
Pretoria $2,678

Somerset West is about 9% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Somerset West and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Somerset West 15% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 R 204

$9.28 R 155

31.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.52 R 759

$36.09 R 601

26.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 R 90.7

$5.20 R 86.7

4.62%

Cappuccino

$2.06 R 34.34

$2.18 R 36.39

-5.50%

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

$1.06 R 17.74

$1.03 R 17.16

2.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 14.01

$0.85 R 14.08

-1.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.91

$2.61 R 43.57

-1.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R 54.5

$3.24 R 54.0

0.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.13

$1.17 R 19.48

-11.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.39

$1.13 R 18.75

-13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.70

$1.83 R 30.53

13.66%

Eggs

$2.28 R 38.00

$2.40 R 39.95

-5.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 R 139

$8.16 R 136

2.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 R 86.3

$4.97 R 82.8

4.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 R 154

$7.38 R 123

24.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.23

$1.70 R 28.37

6.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.47

$1.61 R 26.85

17.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.00

$1.77 R 29.55

-1.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.20

$1.56 R 26.06

8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.23

$1.12 R 18.64

34.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.48

$1.22 R 20.29

25.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.42

$1.22 R 20.39

5.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R 17.80

$1.27 R 21.15

-15.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 R 56.5

$3.17 R 52.9

6.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 R 98.1

$4.94 R 82.3

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.73

$1.50 R 24.98

-9.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.17

$1.92 R 31.92

-8.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 R 18.47

$4.77 R 79.5

-76.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 R 1,007

$179 R 2,981

-66.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.81

$0.29 R 4.82

103.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.72

$0.79 R 13.21

94.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 R 82.4

$14.24 R 237

-65.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 R 23.68

$1.55 R 25.76

-8.39%

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

$29.3K R 487.5K

$35.0K R 583.0K

-16.38%

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

$29.4K R 489.1K

$35.0K R 583.0K

-16.09%

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

$82.1 R 1,368

$148 R 2,473

-44.71%

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

$29.05 R 484

$36.56 R 609

-20.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.47 R 674

$36.12 R 602

12.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.16 R 736

$31.26 R 521

41.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.43 R 174

$10.56 R 176

-1.23%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 R 121

$7.29 R 121

-0.14%

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

$251 R 4,175

$263 R 4,388

-4.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,596 R 59.9K

$7,829 R 130.5K

-54.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.99 R 516

$52.1 R 868

-40.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.32 R 522

$31.93 R 532

-1.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 R 1,189

$91.8 R 1,530

-22.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.3 R 939

$82.2 R 1,369

-31.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 R 10.7K

$450 R 7,498

42.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,095

$359 R 5,988

18.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 R 22.3K

$1,040 R 17.3K

28.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 R 15.6K

$735 R 12.3K

27.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,221 R 20.3K

$869 R 14.5K

40.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$892 R 14.9K

$664 R 11.1K

34.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 R 23.6K

$1,386 R 23.1K

2.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.34

-10.76%

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

Last update for Somerset West: 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

Somerset West

$426 36.7%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 15.6% $66

Groceries & Markets

Somerset West

$200 17.2%

Pretoria

$192 15% 4% $8.1

Eating Out

Somerset West

$166 14.3%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 13.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset West

$152 13.1%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 45.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset West

$86 7.4%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 35.8% $31

Getting Around

Somerset West

$73 6.3%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 176% $129

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset West

$59 5.1%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 21.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $643 in Somerset West 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Somerset West versus $36 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $192 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

Same time as Somerset West

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,166

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Somerset West Pretoria 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerset West
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

Somerset West vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,740 per month in Somerset West 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 Pretoria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $450 there versus $643 in Somerset West.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Somerset West. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $251 per month in Somerset West and $263 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,160 in Somerset West and $1,279 in Pretoria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Somerset West has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,160 in Somerset West to $1,279 in Pretoria. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.