GoMarty ConsultingHow much does a domain name cost in South Africa?
Short answer: a .co.za costs R45 to R150 per year, and a .com costs R200 to R400. If anyone is charging you more than that for a normal, available name, they're reselling you something that costs them pocket change.
Long answer — the part that actually saves you money — is below.
The real prices (2026)
| Extension | Register (year 1) | Renewal (per year after) |
|---|---|---|
| .co.za (the SA standard) | R45 – R150 | R85 – R150 |
| .com | R150 – R290 | R200 – R400 |
| .org.za / .net.za | R70 – R110 | R70 – R110 |
| .joburg / .capetown / .durban | R300 – R430 | R300 – R490 |
| .africa | R170 – R320 | R270 – R320 |
For a South African small business, .co.za is the default and the right answer: it's the cheapest, your customers recognise it instantly, and Google treats it as a "this business is in South Africa" signal for local searches. Register the .com as well if it's available — roughly R200 extra a year stops a competitor or squatter from grabbing it later.
The trap: registration price vs renewal price
Here's the game most registrars play. The big number on the homepage is the first-year price. The number that matters is the renewal price — what you pay every year, forever.
Before you check out anywhere, find the renewal column. If a registrar hides it, that tells you everything.
Other ways people overpay
- Paying an agency R500+/year "for the domain." Common, and pure margin. If someone else registered your domain, make sure it's registered in your name — you can check the WHOIS record. If it's in their name, it's their domain, whatever your invoice says.
- "Premium" domains. If the name you want shows a price like R5,000, the registry has classified it as premium. For a local trade business it's almost never worth it — pick a variation (add your town: joesplumbingdurban.co.za) and spend the difference on literally anything else.
- Letting it expire. Miss the renewal email and your domain can be deleted and re-registered by anyone. Turn on auto-renew, or register up to five years upfront (.co.za allows this since 2025).
What you can't do
You can't buy a domain outright — it's rented, always. And you can't register .co.za directly with the registry (ZACR); you go through an accredited registrar. Any of the big SA names are fine for a plain registration. Just compare the renewal column.
The one-paragraph answer
Already have a domain and a site? The next question is whether the site behind it is doing its job. Our free scan checks the front page in about a minute — Google visibility, speed, security, mobile.
Run the free scan →No website yet at all? A one-page GoMarty site is R1,500 once-off + R299/month — and we can point your own .co.za at it, setup included. See what's included →