Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sun City and Pretoria

For one person, living costs are similar in Sun City and in Pretoria: $1,270 and $1,279 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
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Sun City Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,270

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Sun City vs $1,279 in Pretoria, rent included.

Sun City $1,270
Pretoria $1,279

A couple spends around $1,953 per month in Sun City vs $1,979 in Pretoria, rent included.

Sun City $1,953
Pretoria $1,979

A family of three spends $2,636 per month in Sun City vs $2,678 in Pretoria, rent included.

Sun City $2,636
Pretoria $2,678

Sun City and Pretoria have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Sun City and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Sun City 7% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 R 199

$9.28 R 155

28.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.28 R 771

$36.09 R 601

28.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 R 124

$5.20 R 86.7

43.46%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.70

$2.18 R 36.39

14.68%

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

$1.26 R 21.01

$1.03 R 17.16

22.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.47

$0.85 R 14.08

16.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.80

$2.61 R 43.57

-6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 46.01

$3.24 R 54.0

-14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.14

$1.17 R 19.48

13.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 R 20.05

$1.13 R 18.75

6.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.85

$1.83 R 30.53

-5.46%

Eggs

$2.79 R 46.42

$2.40 R 39.95

16.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 R 149

$8.16 R 136

9.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 R 94.1

$4.97 R 82.8

13.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.75 R 146

$7.38 R 123

18.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.07

$1.70 R 28.37

23.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 31.17

$1.61 R 26.85

16.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.35

$1.77 R 29.55

2.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.68

$1.56 R 26.06

37.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.43

$1.12 R 18.64

47.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.80

$1.22 R 20.29

46.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 R 24.20

$1.22 R 20.39

18.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.70

$1.27 R 21.15

2.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 R 58.5

$3.17 R 52.9

10.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 R 100

$4.94 R 82.3

21.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 30.11

$1.50 R 24.98

20.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 38.43

$1.92 R 31.92

20.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.83

$4.77 R 79.5

-67.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,981

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.68

$0.29 R 4.82

203.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.82

$0.79 R 13.21

20.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.33 R 239

$14.24 R 237

0.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 R 26.08

$1.55 R 25.76

0.65%

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

$35.8K R 596.0K

$35.0K R 583.0K

2.22%

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

$34.8K R 580.3K

$35.0K R 583.0K

-0.46%

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

$229 R 3,823

$148 R 2,473

54.56%

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

$38.97 R 649

$36.56 R 609

6.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.57 R 626

$36.12 R 602

4.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.51 R 542

$31.26 R 521

4.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.11 R 185

$10.56 R 176

5.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.49 R 142

$7.29 R 121

16.46%

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

$246 R 4,106

$263 R 4,388

-6.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,591 R 93.2K

$7,829 R 130.5K

-28.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 R 982

$52.1 R 868

13.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.49 R 758

$31.93 R 532

42.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 R 1,922

$91.8 R 1,530

25.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,854

$82.2 R 1,369

35.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 R 6,607

$450 R 7,498

-11.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,982

$359 R 5,988

-0.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.1K

$1,040 R 17.3K

-30.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$735 R 12.3K

-1.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$874 R 14.6K

$869 R 14.5K

0.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$681 R 11.3K

$664 R 11.1K

2.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,386 R 23.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.34

-3.79%

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

Last update for Sun City: October 24, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sun City

$359 28.3%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 0.1% $0.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sun City

$306 24.1%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 27.7% $85

Groceries & Markets

Sun City

$220 17.3%

Pretoria

$192 15% 13% $29

Eating Out

Sun City

$175 13.8%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 18.2% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Sun City

$149 11.7%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 22.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sun City

$50 3.9%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 7.4% $3.7

Getting Around

Sun City

$12 * 0.9%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 1610% $190

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Sun City 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 Sun City versus $36 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $192 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Sun City

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

Same time as Sun City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,556

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

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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

Sun City vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,905 per month in Sun City 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 Sun City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Sun City and $36 in Pretoria. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $246 per month in Sun City 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 $1,270 in Sun City and $1,279 in Pretoria. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Sun City – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.