Calculator · four metros

Is a borehole worth it? Payback in your metro

A borehole pays for itself with the municipal water it replaces, and for most homes that is garden water. We combined each metro's weather with its 2026/27 water tariffs to show how long the payback really takes.

By Borehole Payback · updated 24 October 2026

Will a borehole pay for itself?

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Money back over 20 years

Garden water from each metro's average 2021–2025 weather; 2026/27 water and sewage tariffs incl. VAT; pump electricity at R3.50 per kWh. Drilling at R1 000 per metre incl. casing.

What our numbers show

Our calculations, data as of 24 October 2026

A 60 m borehole with pump, tank and plumbing costs about R94 500 at R1 000 per metre, the middle of what owners report paying for drilling with casing.
Garden size decides everything. Watering 400 m² from the borehole pays back in 3.8 yrs in Cape Town and 4.8 yrs in Johannesburg; a 100 m² garden needs 24.3 yrs and 31.9 yrs.
eThekwini is the slowest payback despite the highest tariffs: Durban's rain covers most of a garden's needs, so a borehole replaces less municipal water. A 400 m² garden pays back in 9.8 yrs.
Pumping costs little: lifting a kilolitre from 60 m and pressurising it uses about 0.61 kWh, roughly R2.15 of electricity, against R50 to R110 for the top blocks of municipal water.

Payback of a 60 m borehole for a 250 m² garden
Cape Town		7.4 yrs
Tshwane (Pretoria)		8.5 yrs
Johannesburg		8.9 yrs
eThekwini (Durban)		19.8 yrs

Whole garden watered from the borehole, 15 kl a month indoor use from the municipality, 2026/27 tariffs incl. VAT, pump electricity and R1 000 a year upkeep.

Payback by metro and garden size

Years until a 60 m borehole with pump and tank (R94 500) has paid for itself, when the whole garden is watered from it:

Metro	100 m² garden	250 m² garden	400 m² garden	800 m² garden
Cape Town	24.3 yrs	7.4 yrs	3.8 yrs	1.8 yrs
Johannesburg	31.9 yrs	8.9 yrs	4.8 yrs	2 yrs
Tshwane (Pretoria)	25.3 yrs	8.5 yrs	5.1 yrs	2.5 yrs
eThekwini (Durban)	77.3 yrs	19.8 yrs	9.8 yrs	3.5 yrs

15 kl a month of indoor use stays on municipal water. Saving: the municipal water and use-based sewage charges the garden would otherwise add, under 2026/27 tariffs incl. VAT. Costs: pump electricity and R1 000 a year upkeep.

Why garden size decides

Municipal tariffs rise with every block, so the garden water on top of indoor use is the most expensive water you buy. A large garden pushes the bill into the top blocks for months at a time, and a borehole removes exactly those kilolitres. A small garden barely leaves the cheap blocks, and the borehole saves little.

See how much water a garden needs in each metro, what a borehole costs and the 2026/27 tariffs.

This week

Metro of the week: eThekwini (Durban)

A household in eThekwini (Durban) using 30 kl of municipal water a month pays about R2 253 a month for water and sewage under the 2026/27 tariffs. A 60 m borehole watering a 250 m² garden would save about R4 769 a year after pump electricity and upkeep, and pay back in 19.8 years.