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Borehole drilling prices in South Africa (2026)
By BoreholePro. Updated 12 October 2026.
Borehole drilling costs R295 to R440 a metre on current driller price lists, with a national average of R330. A 60 m household borehole with steel casing at the top, PVC casing and a pump comes to about R39,800; an 80 m one about R51,000. With a 5,000-litre tank, a stand and a pressure pump to get water to the house, an 80 m borehole comes to about R84,540.
- Drilling, national average
- R330 /m
- Steel casing at the top
- R1,500
- PVC casing
- R145 /m
- Pump
- R8,000 to R13,000
How much is borehole drilling per metre?
We checked current price lists from drillers in Limpopo, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal on 12 October 2026. The drilling rate alone, before casing and the pump, runs from R295 to R440 a metre:
| Price list | Drilling rate |
|---|---|
| Polokwane area | R295 a metre |
| Vhembe (Thohoyandou) area | R300 a metre |
| Pretoria | R320 a metre |
| KwaZulu-Natal south coast | R320 a metre |
| Central Limpopo | R350 a metre |
| Pretoria, north | R440 a metre |
| National average used where there is no local list | R330 a metre |
You’ll see figures of R500 to R1,500 a metre online. Those are usually all-in numbers spread over the depth, or old figures copied between sites. Ask any driller for the rate per metre, the casing per metre and the pump as separate lines, so you can compare like with like.
What goes into a borehole price?
| Line | What it is | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Drilling | The rig drills the hole, about 165 mm across, to the depth where enough water comes in. | R295 to R440 a metre |
| Steel casing at the top | A steel pipe through the loose soil at the top so the hole doesn’t collapse. | R1,500 |
| More steel casing | Only if solid rock starts deep and loose ground has to be held back further down. | R350 to R750 a metre |
| PVC casing | Plastic pipe lining the rest of the hole, slotted where the water comes in. | R145 a metre |
| Pump | A submersible pump sized for the depth, lowered on its pipe and cable. | R8,000 to R13,000 |
What does a borehole cost at 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 m?
At the national average of R330 a metre, with steel casing at the top, PVC casing all the way and a pump sized for the depth:
| Depth | Drilling | Casing | Pump | Lined and pumping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 m | R13,200 | R7,300 | R8,800 | R29,300 |
| 60 m | R19,800 | R10,200 | R9,800 | R39,800 |
| 80 m | R26,400 | R13,100 | R11,500 | R51,000 |
| 100 m | R33,000 | R16,000 | R13,000 | R62,000 |
| 120 m | R39,600 | R18,900 | R13,000 | R71,500 |
Every 10 m adds about R4,750 in drilling and casing, plus a slightly bigger pump. Where the local rate is lower, as around Polokwane, the same hole costs less; on the R440 list north of Pretoria it costs more.
Getting the water to the house
A borehole on its own gives water at the top of the hole. To run taps and a garden, most homes add a tank, a stand and a pressure pump:
| Extra | What it does | Price |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000-litre tank | Stores water so it’s there when the borehole is slow or the power is off. | R6,940 |
| 3.5 m tank stand, installed | Lifts the tank so water runs to the house on its own. | R21,800 |
| Pressure pump | Gives the house strong water pressure from the tank. | R2,950 |
| Lockable steel cover | Locks the top of the borehole to protect the pump. | R1,850 |
| An 80 m borehole with all four | R84,540 |
Costs people forget
| Item | When you need it | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Siting survey | Picks the spot most likely to give water. Worth it on rock, where water sits in cracks. | R3,000 to R15,000 |
| Water test | Before anyone drinks the water. | R800 to R2,500 |
| Filter | If the test finds iron, nitrate, salt or germs. | R5,000 to R15,000 |
| Electrical connection | Power from the house to the pump’s control box. | Quoted on the site visit |
| City consent | Johannesburg asks for written consent before drilling (fee reported in 2025). | R1,185 |
What do I pay if the borehole is dry?
A dry hole is charged for the drilling, but not the pump or the full casing. In the government’s Limpopo drilling records, about 1 in 9 holes came up dry, and dry holes are under-recorded, so the real share can be higher. On rock, a siting survey (R3,000 to R15,000) usually costs less than one dry hole.
Borehole prices by province
The typical depth in each province comes from where the water sits in the government’s monitoring boreholes, and the rate from the nearest current price list.
| Province | Water below ground | Typical borehole | Rate a metre | Lined and pumping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gauteng | 27 m | 80 m | R380 | R55,000 |
| Limpopo | 14 m | 65 m | R325 | R43,250 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 6.8 m | 65 m | R330 | R43,575 |
| Western Cape | 10 m | 65 m | R330 | R43,575 |
| Eastern Cape | 11 m | 65 m | R330 | R43,575 |
| Mpumalanga | 8.8 m | 65 m | R330 | R43,575 |
| North West | 19 m | 65 m | R320 | R42,925 |
| Free State | 6.9 m | 65 m | R330 | R43,575 |
| Northern Cape | 13 m | 65 m | R330 | R43,575 |
Your own address gives a tighter number: the quote tool uses the records and rates closest to your plot.
Questions people ask
How much is borehole drilling per metre in South Africa?
R295 to R440 a metre for the drilling alone on current price lists (checked 12 October 2026), with a national average of R330. Casing and the pump are priced separately.
What is the average cost of drilling a borehole in South Africa?
About R39,800 for a 60 m borehole and R51,000 for an 80 m one, lined and pumping, at the national average rate. Add about R31,690 for a tank, stand and pressure pump.
Is the pump included in the price?
In our prices, yes: the total includes a submersible pump sized for the depth (R8,000 to R13,000). The tank, stand, pressure pump and electrical connection are extras.
How long does it take to drill a borehole?
A household borehole is usually drilled in a day, sometimes two in hard rock or at depth. Casing, the yield test and fitting the pump follow, so most jobs are done within a few days of the rig arriving.
Do I pay if no water is found?
You pay for the drilling of a dry hole, but not the pump or the full casing. A siting survey before drilling lowers the risk.
Related
Where these numbers come from
- Current price lists from borehole drillers in Limpopo, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, checked 12 October 2026
- Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS): National Groundwater Archive, GRIP borehole records, groundwater-level monitoring and water-quality results supplied to us by DWS GeoRequests, September and October 2026
- Daily Maverick: Thinking of drilling a borehole in Joburg? (28 February 2025, updated 17 June 2025)
Get a price for your borehole
Type your address and see the price line by line, with the water records around your plot. A site visit confirms the spot, the depth and the final price before any drilling starts.