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Borehole Drilling Cost Calculator

Get an indicative price range for your borehole project. Adjust the settings to see how each part of the cost changes.

Last reviewed . This is a range built from published South African prices, not a quote.

Your Borehole Details

Drilling rate used: R300 - R750 per metre. A survey and your driller tell you which applies.

20m150m

Gauteng: 40-130m typical; most residential boreholes 80-120m. Actual depth is only known once drilling is done.

Casing is usually run through loose or weathered ground rather than the full depth, and the driller decides while drilling. 40m is the example used in one published guide, so adjust it once you have a quote.

Estimated Cost Range

Geophysical surveyR3,500 - R10,000
Borehole drilling (90m at R300 - R750/m)R27,000 - R67,500
Casing (40m at R400 - R700/m)R16,000 - R28,000
Yield testR1,500 - R7,500
Water quality test (SANS 241)R1,400 - R3,000
Pump, cable, riser and labour (1.1 kW class for 90m)R14,000 - R22,700
Pressure system and electrical connectionR5,000 - R19,000
Estimated RangeR68,000 - R158,000

Rounded to the nearest R1,000.

Indicative range only, not a quote. It is built from published 2026 South African prices, and a real price depends on your site, your driller and what the quote includes.

For comparison, published project totals for this region: Johannesburg R55,000 - R130,000; Pretoria R60,000 - R140,000. See prices by province and city.

Not included: mobilisation or site-establishment charges and any minimum fee (ask your driller), the electrical supply line to the pump, a second hole if the first is dry, and VAT where a source does not state it.

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How This Estimate Is Built

Each line uses a low and a high figure from published guides. The low end adds up every low figure and the high end every high figure, so the range is deliberately wide. Sources are listed at the bottom of the page.

ItemAssumption
DrillingDepth times a per-metre rate: R300 - R750 in standard ground, R600 - R1,500 in hard rock.
CasingR400 - R700 per cased metre, on the metres you choose. One dated KZN quote lists steel casing at R350 per metre.
Geophysical surveyR3,500 - R10,000.
Yield testR1,500 - R7,500, from a basic test to a constant-rate test.
Water testR1,450 - R3,000 for a SANS 241 laboratory analysis.
Pump, cable, riser and labourRetail price of a pump rated for your depth, plus cable and riser at about R85 per metre, plus labour of R2,000 - R5,000.
Pressure system and electricalR5,000 - R19,000 for a pressure tank, switch, piping and electrical connection.
Storage tankR5,000 for 2,500 litres up to R20,000 for 10,000 litres.
Water treatmentR5,000 for a basic system up to R20,000 for an advanced one.

The pump is matched to the borehole depth using the depth ratings on retail listings (0.55 kW to 54m, 0.75 kW to 69m, 1.1 kW to 97m, 1.5 kW to 138m, 2.2 kW above that). Your installer sizes the pump on total head and your tested yield, so the pump line is a guide only. See borehole pump prices for the listings.

Want a Real Price?

This calculator gives a range. For a price, request quotes and we pass your request to drilling companies listed for your area. We have not inspected the companies, so compare quotes and ask for references.

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Sources