Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Springs and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Springs: $978 a month against $1,328 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Springs
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Springs Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Springs

🇿🇦 South Africa

$978

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,328

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $978 per month in Springs vs $1,328 in Pretoria, rent included.

Springs $978
Pretoria $1,328

A couple spends around $1,592 per month in Springs vs $2,017 in Pretoria, rent included.

Springs $1,592
Pretoria $2,017

A family of three spends $2,207 per month in Springs vs $2,707 in Pretoria, rent included.

Springs $2,207
Pretoria $2,707

Springs is about 26% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Springs and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Springs 28% lower, Pretoria 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.81 R 145

$9.04 R 149

-2.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.24 R 597

$37.37 R 616

-3.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.23 R 86.1

$5.28 R 87.0

-0.95%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R 38.01

$2.33 R 38.34

-0.86%

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

$0.96 R 15.82

$1.09 R 17.89

-11.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R 11.41

$0.89 R 14.72

-22.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 R 30.23

$2.58 R 42.58

-28.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 R 34.21

$3.24 R 53.5

-35.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.61

$1.19 R 19.62

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 R 16.96

$1.13 R 18.63

-8.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.89

$1.77 R 29.17

2.26%

Eggs

$2.46 R 40.51

$2.55 R 42.00

-3.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.30 R 137

$8.20 R 135

1.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R 83.6

$4.82 R 79.5

5.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 R 118

$7.45 R 123

-3.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 R 21.30

$1.71 R 28.22

-24.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 R 18.09

$1.61 R 26.46

-31.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.40

$1.78 R 29.30

-3.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 R 19.95

$1.62 R 26.66

-25.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.57

$1.13 R 18.54

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.49

$1.18 R 19.39

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.12

$1.17 R 19.33

4.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R 13.06

$1.33 R 21.97

-40.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.13 R 51.6

$3.18 R 52.4

-1.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.92 R 64.6

$5.01 R 82.6

-21.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.71

$1.59 R 26.28

-28.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 R 27.06

$1.92 R 31.65

-14.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 R 79.2

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$176 R 2,893

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.17

$0.31 R 5.19

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.38

$0.75 R 12.40

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.38 R 237

$14.28 R 235

0.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 24.05

$1.52 R 25.03

-3.95%

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

$35.7K R 588.6K

$35.1K R 578.0K

1.83%

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

$33.1K R 545.4K

$33.3K R 549.0K

-0.65%

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

$152 R 2,507

$152 R 2,505

0.09%

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

$37.01 R 610

$36.95 R 609

0.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.97 R 593

$37.42 R 617

-3.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.74 R 655

$31.33 R 516

26.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.27 R 169

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 R 122

$7.46 R 123

-0.40%

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

$91.3 R 1,505

$261 R 4,300

-65.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,809 R 29.8K

$7,812 R 128.7K

-76.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 877

$53.8 R 886

-1.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.51 R 536

$31.62 R 521

2.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 R 1,520

$94.0 R 1,549

-1.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 R 1,373

$83.9 R 1,383

-0.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$293 R 4,825

$456 R 7,514

-35.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$268 R 4,420

$401 R 6,610

-33.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$736 R 12.1K

$981 R 16.2K

-24.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 R 11.7K

$749 R 12.3K

-5.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,483 R 24.4K

$875 R 14.4K

69.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$688 R 11.3K

$692 R 11.4K

-0.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,143 R 18.8K

$1,420 R 23.4K

-19.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.75

11.34

-5.20%

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

Last update for Springs: October 11, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Springs

$268 27.4%

Pretoria

$401 30.2% 49.6% $133

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Springs

$225 23%

Pretoria

$226 17.1% 0.6% $1.3

Groceries & Markets

Springs

$174 17.8%

Pretoria

$193 14.6% 11% $19

Eating Out

Springs

$134 13.7%

Pretoria

$143 10.8% 7.2% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Springs

$118 12%

Pretoria

$119 8.9% 0.8% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Springs

$55 5.6%

Pretoria

$46 3.5% 15.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Springs

$4.1 * 0.4%

Pretoria

$199 15% 4787% $195

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $293 in Springs versus $456 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 24% 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 $36.00 in Springs versus $37.00 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $174 vs $193 – making Springs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Springs

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

08:36 8:36 AM

Same time as Springs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,996

741,651 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Springs Pretoria 62 km

From you

Springs
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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

Springs vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,466 per month in Springs and $1,992 in Pretoria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Springs, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $978 in Springs and $1,328 in Pretoria. That's a gap of about 36%.

Kindergarten costs $91.3 per month in Springs and $261 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Springs, where all-in costs run around $978, than in Pretoria at $1,328. In Springs it covers expenses comfortably, while in Pretoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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