A domestic borehole typically costs R20,000 to R60,000 to drill — but that's the drilling phase only, not necessarily your total spend. Agricultural boreholes run higher, R80,000 to R150,000, and here's the real breakdown of what drives the price, what's included, and what tends to catch people out.
Borehole Drilling Prices at a Glance
| Item | Typical Cost | |---|---| | Domestic borehole (drilling only) | R20,000 – R60,000 | | Agricultural borehole (drilling only) | R80,000 – R150,000 | | Drilling rate | R350 – R1,500 per metre | | Casing | R200 – R800 per metre |
These are real ranges, not a single flat number, because depth and geology vary a lot from property to property — more on that below.
What's Actually Included in a Drilling Quote (and What Isn't)
A proper quote should cover:
- Site survey — typically R1,500 to R3,000, though it can run higher for a more complex site.
- Drilling and casing — the main line item, priced per metre.
- Yield testing — confirming how much water the borehole can actually produce.
- Water quality testing — sometimes bundled into the quote, sometimes billed separately. Worth asking directly rather than assuming.
Here's the part that catches people out: the pump, storage tank, and any water treatment system are usually not included in a "drilling" quote. If a number looks unusually low compared to everything else you've seen, this is often why — it's a partial quote, not a full one.
Why Does the Price Range Vary So Much?
Two things mostly drive it:
- Depth — boreholes in South Africa commonly run 30 to 150 metres, depending on how deep the local water table sits. Deeper means more drilling time and material.
- Geology — soft sand or clay drills quickly and cheaply. Hard rock, like granite or dolomite, takes longer and costs more per metre.
Site accessibility plays a smaller role too — a hard-to-reach site can add to the mobilisation cost.
Domestic vs Agricultural Pricing
Agricultural boreholes cost more than domestic ones for a straightforward reason: they usually need to produce a lot more water, which often means drilling deeper or wider to hit a stronger yield. That's why the domestic range (R20,000–R60,000) sits well below the agricultural range (R80,000–R150,000) — it's not that agricultural drillers charge more for the same job, it's a genuinely bigger job.
The Real Full-System Cost (Beyond Just Drilling)
We'd rather be upfront about this than let the drilling-only figures above look like your final number. Once you add a pump, storage tank, and any water treatment your water quality test recommends, your total cost will be higher than the drilling range alone. Exactly how much higher depends on your specific setup — the size of pump you need, how much storage you want, and whether treatment is required — so we won't invent a single figure here. Ask any driller you're comparing to quote the full system, not just the drilling phase, so you're comparing like for like.
How to Compare Quotes Without Getting Ripped Off
Price alone doesn't tell you whether a quote is a good one — what's included, and who's doing the work, matter just as much. Our guide to choosing a drilling company covers exactly what to check before you sign anything.
Ready to compare real quotes? Get quotes from local drillers — takes under a minute, and it's free.