Living in Pretoria, South Africa
Pretoria is a large inland city in Gauteng, South Africa (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 18°C over the year with about 665 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,461 a month to live centrally, and South Africa sits in our high tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in South Africa is possible, with conditions, with a self-funded route from about $2,271 a month in income.
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- Est. cost
- €2,461
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- High
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 18°C
- 665 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 30/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~50 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Possible, with conditions
- for most foreigners
Safety and stability
South Africa scores 30 out of 100 on safety, safer than 0% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 7.0 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in South Africa. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in South Africa runs at about 50 Mbps, faster than 12% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Healthcare
South Africa scores 55 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 15% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in South Africa.
Taxes
South Africa sits in our high tax tier: high personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at low to medium will not see Pretoria in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Residency and visas
Possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is realistic via the Retired Person's Visa (guaranteed pension/annuity income), the Critical Skills Visa (no capital, for in-demand occupations), the Financially Independent Permit (net-worth-based PR), or the Business Visa (capital invested in a local business), though Home Affairs processing is slow and a pending White Paper may tighten thresholds.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for South Africa:
- Income: about $2,271 a month (South Africa Retired Person's Visa, ZAR 37,000/mo guaranteed pension/annuity income, single applicant (USD/ZAR 16.29, Wise mid-market 2026-06-03); as of June 2026)
- Investment: about $307k (South Africa Business Visa, ZAR 5,000,000 one-time capital invested in a business; cheaper than the ZAR 12m Financially Independent Permit net-worth route (USD/ZAR 16.29, Wise mid-market 2026-06-03); as of June 2026)
For short visits, 86 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 32 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 80 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,461 a month to live centrally in Pretoria, 10% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 68% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Climate
Pretoria averages 18°C across the year with about 665 mm of rain, which makes it mild and moderately wet. It is warmer than 47% of the 1225 cities we track.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Language and culture
Main languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu. English proficiency: some. Social openness scores 65 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Questions couples ask about Pretoria
Is Pretoria a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. It is weaker on safety, healthcare and internet speed. Expect a mild, moderately wet climate (18°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Pretoria and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Pretoria?
We estimate about €2,461 a month for a couple living centrally, 10% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Pretoria?
South Africa is in our high tax tier (high personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make low or medium tax a must-have will not see Pretoria in their results.
Can foreigners live in South Africa long term?
Our assessment: possible, with conditions. Long-term residency is realistic via the Retired Person's Visa (guaranteed pension/annuity income), the Critical Skills Visa (no capital, for in-demand occupations), the Financially Independent Permit (net-worth-based PR), or the Business Visa (capital invested in a local business), though Home Affairs processing is slow and a pending White Paper may tighten thresholds. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: income, about $2,271 a month (as of 2026-06); investment, about $307k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Pretoria?
Pretoria averages 18°C across the year with about 665 mm of rain, which makes it mild and moderately wet. It is warmer than 47% of the cities we track.
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