Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tembisa and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Tembisa: $1,105 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Pretoria despite lower rent and utilities.

53

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
Learn more

Tembisa Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
Learn more

Pretoria Living Index

Jump to prices

Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,105 per month in Tembisa vs $1,279 in Pretoria, rent included.

Tembisa $1,105
Pretoria $1,279

A couple spends around $1,734 per month in Tembisa vs $1,979 in Pretoria, rent included.

Tembisa $1,734
Pretoria $1,979

A family of three spends $2,363 per month in Tembisa vs $2,678 in Pretoria, rent included.

Tembisa $2,363
Pretoria $2,678

Tembisa is about 14% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Tembisa and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Tembisa 19% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.69 R 161

$9.28 R 155

4.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.77 R 663

$36.09 R 601

10.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 R 97.0

$5.20 R 86.7

11.92%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R 38.53

$2.18 R 36.39

5.96%

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

$1.10 R 18.29

$1.03 R 17.16

6.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R 13.79

$0.85 R 14.08

-2.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 R 40.12

$2.61 R 43.57

-7.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 R 46.70

$3.24 R 54.0

-13.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.53

$1.17 R 19.48

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.37

$1.13 R 18.75

-2.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.35

$1.83 R 30.53

-0.55%

Eggs

$2.54 R 42.40

$2.40 R 39.95

5.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 R 140

$8.16 R 136

2.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 R 81.9

$4.97 R 82.8

-1.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 120

$7.38 R 123

-2.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.09

$1.70 R 28.37

6.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.11

$1.61 R 26.85

4.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.76

$1.77 R 29.55

-2.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.71

$1.56 R 26.06

6.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.26

$1.12 R 18.64

30.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 24.12

$1.22 R 20.29

18.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.62

$1.22 R 20.39

1.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.41

$1.27 R 21.15

-8.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 R 55.4

$3.17 R 52.9

5.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 R 83.8

$4.94 R 82.3

1.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.20

$1.50 R 24.98

-7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 R 32.84

$1.92 R 31.92

2.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 R 26.03

$4.77 R 79.5

-67.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,981

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.61

$0.29 R 4.82

120.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.53

$0.79 R 13.21

17.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.73 R 195

$14.24 R 237

-17.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.63

$1.55 R 25.76

-4.52%

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

$36.3K R 604.7K

$35.0K R 583.0K

3.71%

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

$33.3K R 554.9K

$35.0K R 583.0K

-4.82%

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

$149 R 2,479

$148 R 2,473

0.22%

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

$35.37 R 589

$36.56 R 609

-3.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.16 R 619

$36.12 R 602

2.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 R 534

$31.26 R 521

2.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.74 R 179

$10.56 R 176

1.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R 123

$7.29 R 121

1.10%

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

$247 R 4,116

$263 R 4,388

-6.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,513 R 91.9K

$7,829 R 130.5K

-29.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 R 906

$52.1 R 868

4.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 R 551

$31.93 R 532

3.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,687

$91.8 R 1,530

10.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 R 1,486

$82.2 R 1,369

8.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 R 6,537

$450 R 7,498

-12.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,987

$359 R 5,988

-0.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 R 12.4K

$1,040 R 17.3K

-28.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 R 12.5K

$735 R 12.3K

2.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$877 R 14.6K

$869 R 14.5K

0.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$682 R 11.4K

$664 R 11.1K

2.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 R 9,430

$1,386 R 23.1K

-59.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.34

-3.53%

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

Last update for Tembisa: October 27, 2026

Last update for Pretoria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tembisa

$359 32.5%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 0% $0

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tembisa

$221 20%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 0.1% $0.2

Groceries & Markets

Tembisa

$193 17.5%

Pretoria

$192 15% 0.8% $1.5

Eating Out

Tembisa

$148 13.4%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 3.4% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Tembisa

$125 11.3%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 7.2% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Tembisa

$47 4.2%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 2% $1

Getting Around

Tembisa

$12 * 1%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 1653% $191

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Tembisa 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 in Pretoria are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Tembisa versus $36 in Pretoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $192 – making Pretoria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

22:35 10:35 PM

Same time as Tembisa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,109

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tembisa Pretoria 31 km

From you

Tembisa
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

Tembisa vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,658 per month in Tembisa 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 Tembisa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Tembisa and $36 in Pretoria. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Tembisa and $263 in Pretoria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,105 in Tembisa and $1,279 in Pretoria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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