A .co.za domain costs between R45 and R150 per year in South Africa, depending on where you register it. A .com costs R219 to R350. At Cheap Domains for Sale you pay R59 per year for your .co.za, and the renewal costs the same as the first year.
That is the short answer. The longer answer matters more, because domain pricing in South Africa shifts on 1 October 2026. The wholesale fee behind every .co.za rises on that date, and the cheapest advertised price is often not the price you pay in year two. This guide shows you every number before you spend a rand.
Domain prices in South Africa at a glance
The table below shows the typical price range across South African registrars in September 2026. Registration is what you pay in year one. Renewal is what you pay every year after that. Always read both columns.
| Extension | Good for | Registration per year | Renewal per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| .co.za | South African businesses | R45 to R150 | Usually the same |
| .org.za | Nonprofits and community groups | R59 to R160 | Usually the same |
| .net.za and .web.za | Alternatives when .co.za is taken | R59 to R160 | Usually the same |
| .com | International reach | R219 to R350 | R299 to R399 |
| .africa | Businesses serving the continent | R150 to R350 | The same or slightly higher |
| .net | Tech and network brands | R250 to R380 | R300 to R400 |
| .joburg, .capetown and .durban | Businesses tied to one city | R250 to R400 | Usually the same |
| .online, .site and .shop | Startups chasing a promo | R19 to R99 in year one | R500 to R900 |
Look at that last row again. That gap between year one and year two is the single most important thing this guide will teach you.
Prices rise on 1 October 2026. Here is what changed
ZADNA runs South Africa’s .za domain space. Think of ZADNA as the wholesaler and your registrar as the shop. From 1 October 2026, ZADNA raises its wholesale fee by 6.2% on .co.za, .org.za, .net.za and .web.za domains.
Registrars decide how much of that increase reaches you. Some will absorb it. Most will pass it on within a billing cycle or two.
Two moves protect you. Register or renew before 1 October and you pay the current price. Or go further and register for several years at once. ZADNA allows .za registrations of up to five years at a time, which locks today’s rate for the full period.
The renewal trap. Why year two costs more
Here is the oldest trick in domain pricing. A registrar advertises a .online domain at R29. You register it, build your site, print the address on your business cards. Twelve months later the renewal invoice arrives at R700. You pay it, because moving your whole online life feels harder than paying.
Nothing about that is illegal. The renewal price sits in the fine print the whole time. Almost nobody reads it, and the discount registrars know that.
The fix takes ten seconds. Before you buy any domain, find the renewal price. If the registrar makes it hard to find, that tells you everything you need to know. A fair registrar shows both numbers side by side because it has nothing to hide.
What decides the price of a domain
Four things set the number you see at checkout.
The registry fee. Every extension has a registry that runs it. ZADNA and ZACR run the .za space. Verisign runs .com. The registry charges every registrar the same wholesale fee per domain, so this part of the price is identical everywhere.
The registrar markup. Registrars add their margin on top of the wholesale fee. That margin covers support, billing, DNS (the system that points your domain at your website) and profit. Markups vary widely, which is why the same .co.za costs R45 at one shop and R150 at another.
The exchange rate. The .com wholesale fee is charged in dollars. When the rand weakens, .com prices in South Africa climb. The .co.za fee is charged in rands, so its price stays stable. That is one more reason a local extension makes sense for a local business.
Promos and premiums. Discount first year offers pull prices down. Premium names, the short one word domains that registries flag as valuable, push prices far up. A premium can cost thousands where a standard name costs R59.
.co.za, .com or .africa. Which one should you buy?
Start with where your customers live.
Your customers are in South Africa. Buy the .co.za. It is the address South Africans trust, it helps you show up in South African search results, and more than 1.4 million .za domains are already registered because it works. It is also the cheapest of the three.
Your customers are across Africa. Buy the .africa. Around 285,000 are live and the number grows every year. It signals continental reach without losing the African identity.
Your customers are everywhere. Buy the .com. It is the most recognised extension on earth and the most expensive of the three in rand terms.
If the budget only covers one, take the .co.za first. You can add the others later. If the budget covers two, register the .com as well so nobody else can trade on your name.
Hidden costs to check before you buy
Five questions to ask any registrar before you pay.
What is the renewal price? Year two matters more than year one. It is the real price of the domain.
Does the price include VAT? Some registrars advertise prices before VAT, then add 15% at checkout. The number on the pricing page should be the number on the invoice.
What does it cost to leave? Transferring a .co.za to another registrar should cost you nothing. If a registrar charges exit fees, they are betting on keeping you trapped rather than keeping you happy.
Is hosting bundled in? A free domain usually means an annual hosting contract attached to it. Read what you are actually signing before you celebrate the freebie. We wrote a full breakdown of this in our free domain guide.
What happens after expiry? Recovering an expired domain can cost ten times the renewal fee, if you can recover it at all. Ask about the grace period before it ever matters.
Five ways to keep your domain costs down
- Beat the 1 October increase. Register or renew before the new wholesale fee lands and you pay the current rate.
- Register for longer. .za domains allow up to five years at a time and .com allows up to ten. You lock the current price for the whole period and skip the yearly admin.
- Judge the renewal price, not the promo. A R29 first year with a R700 renewal costs more over three years than a flat R59.
- Keep it local and in rands. A .co.za priced in rands never moves with the dollar. Your budget stays predictable.
- Turn on renewal reminders and keep your payment details current. The most expensive domain is the one you lose.
What you pay at Cheap Domains for Sale
One price, no tricks. Your .co.za costs R59 per year. The renewal costs R59 too. No hosting contract attached, no checkout surprises, and the domain belongs to you from day one.
For .com, .africa, .org.za and .net, the search box shows the live rand price before you commit. Dollar linked extensions move with the exchange rate, and we would rather show you the real number than a teaser.
Not sure which extension fits your business? WhatsApp us. A real person answers during South African business hours.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a domain cost in South Africa?
A .co.za costs R45 to R150 per year depending on the registrar. A .com costs R219 to R350 and a .africa costs R150 to R350. At Cheap Domains for Sale a .co.za costs R59 per year.
How much is a .co.za domain per year?
Most South African registrars charge between R45 and R150 per year for a .co.za, and the renewal usually matches the registration price. We charge R59 per year, and the renewal stays R59.
Why is the renewal more expensive than the first year?
Many registrars use a cheap first year price to win your business, then charge the full rate from year two. The renewal price is the real price of the domain. Check it before you buy.
Do I pay for a domain monthly or yearly?
Yearly. Domains are registered and renewed per year. Anyone quoting a monthly domain price is usually folding hosting into the number.
Can I register a domain for more than one year?
Yes. .za domains can be registered for up to five years at a time and .com for up to ten. Registering for longer locks in the current price and protects you from increases like the one landing on 1 October 2026.
What happens if I do not renew my domain?
Your website and email stop working, the domain enters a short grace period, and after that it gets released or held for a recovery fee that can run to ten times the normal renewal. Set reminders and renew early.
Still have a question about domain prices? Send it to us on WhatsApp and you will get a plain English answer.
Related: Buy cheap domains in South Africa
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