Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Pretoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,111 a month against $1,279 in Pretoria, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Pretoria
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Pretoria Living Index

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Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,111

/mo nomad

Pretoria

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,279

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,111 per month in Upington vs $1,279 in Pretoria, rent included.

Upington $1,111
Pretoria $1,279

A couple spends around $1,731 per month in Upington vs $1,979 in Pretoria, rent included.

Upington $1,731
Pretoria $1,979

A family of three spends $2,350 per month in Upington vs $2,678 in Pretoria, rent included.

Upington $2,350
Pretoria $2,678

Upington is about 13% cheaper than Pretoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Upington and Pretoria are more affordable than the global median – Upington 18% lower, Pretoria 6% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 R 202

$9.28 R 155

30.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.62 R 594

$36.09 R 601

-1.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 R 97.2

$5.20 R 86.7

12.12%

Cappuccino

$1.75 R 29.17

$2.18 R 36.39

-19.72%

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

$1.02 R 17.06

$1.03 R 17.16

-0.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.87

$0.85 R 14.08

-9.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 R 28.38

$2.61 R 43.57

-34.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.95

$3.24 R 54.0

-14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R 15.45

$1.17 R 19.48

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 R 20.27

$1.13 R 18.75

7.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.83

$1.83 R 30.53

-12.02%

Eggs

$2.22 R 36.95

$2.40 R 39.95

-7.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 R 138

$8.16 R 136

1.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R 89.9

$4.97 R 82.8

8.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.17 R 136

$7.38 R 123

10.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 R 34.27

$1.70 R 28.37

21.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.61 R 26.85

-7.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.37

$1.77 R 29.55

-7.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.31

$1.56 R 26.06

12.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 R 22.33

$1.12 R 18.64

19.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 23.11

$1.22 R 20.29

13.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 R 18.43

$1.22 R 20.39

-9.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.33

$1.27 R 21.15

-3.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 R 46.01

$3.17 R 52.9

-12.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.73 R 62.1

$4.94 R 82.3

-24.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.67

$1.50 R 24.98

2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.77

$1.92 R 31.92

8.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 R 24.31

$4.77 R 79.5

-69.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$179 R 2,981

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.64

$0.29 R 4.82

120.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.16

$0.79 R 13.21

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.30 R 188

$14.24 R 237

-20.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.20

$1.55 R 25.76

-6.45%

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

$40.3K R 671.8K

$35.0K R 583.0K

15.21%

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

$34.8K R 579.4K

$35.0K R 583.0K

-0.61%

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

$148 R 2,472

$148 R 2,473

-0.04%

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

$39.28 R 655

$36.56 R 609

7.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 627

$36.12 R 602

4.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.10 R 468

$31.26 R 521

-10.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.70 R 195

$10.56 R 176

10.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 133

$7.29 R 121

9.74%

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

$103 R 1,709

$263 R 4,388

-61.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,540 R 92.3K

$7,829 R 130.5K

-29.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 R 929

$52.1 R 868

7.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.07 R 534

$31.93 R 532

0.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 R 1,736

$91.8 R 1,530

13.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,405

$82.2 R 1,369

2.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 R 6,474

$450 R 7,498

-13.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 R 5,958

$359 R 5,988

-0.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 R 10.2K

$1,040 R 17.3K

-41.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 R 12.3K

$735 R 12.3K

0.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$917 R 15.3K

$869 R 14.5K

5.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$739 R 12.3K

$664 R 11.1K

11.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 R 13.0K

$1,386 R 23.1K

-43.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

11.34

0.35%

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

Last update for Upington: 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

Upington

$358 32.2%

Pretoria

$359 28.1% 0.5% $1.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upington

$225 20.3%

Pretoria

$221 17.3% 1.8% $4.2

Groceries & Markets

Upington

$193 17.4%

Pretoria

$192 15% 0.7% $1.4

Eating Out

Upington

$157 14.1%

Pretoria

$143 11.2% 8.7% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Upington

$124 11.2%

Pretoria

$116 9.1% 6.6% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Upington

$44 4%

Pretoria

$46 3.6% 3.9% $1.7

Getting Around

Upington

$10 * 0.9%

Pretoria

$202 15.8% 1841% $192

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $389 in Upington 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 77% higher in Pretoria. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Upington versus $36 in Pretoria. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Upington vs $192 in Pretoria – so Pretoria wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Upington

🇿🇦 Pretoria

🕒 Local time

22:36 10:36 PM

Same time as Upington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,834

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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Between locations

Upington Pretoria 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Upington
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

Upington vs Pretoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Pretoria is pricier by about 15%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Upington 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 Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $450 in Pretoria.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,111 in Upington and $1,279 in Pretoria. That makes Upington about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $103 per month in Upington 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 $1,111 in Upington and $1,279 in Pretoria. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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