Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,160 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Durban

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Durban actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $1,160 in Durban.

Austin, TX $2,704
Durban $1,160

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,785 in Durban.

Austin, TX $4,133
Durban $1,785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $2,411 in Durban.

Austin, TX $5,562
Durban $2,411

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 133% more expensive than in Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Durban is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$8.01 R 133

152.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$38.89 R 645

118.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.13 R 102

101.47%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.64 R 43.85

107.20%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$1.13 R 18.77

238.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.91 R 15.07

174.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$2.44 R 40.47

230.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.56 R 42.52

251.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$1.21 R 20.12

-6.61%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.93 R 15.43

306.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.49 R 24.70

118.12%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$2.35 R 38.98

76.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$8.20 R 136

59.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$5.28 R 87.6

171.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$7.04 R 117

126.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$1.97 R 32.66

122.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.95 R 32.39

-25.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.96 R 32.56

131.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.67 R 27.66

150.90%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.53 R 25.40

71.90%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$1.43 R 23.79

65.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$1.16 R 19.21

51.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.20 R 19.97

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$3.56 R 59.0

175.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$4.68 R 77.6

214.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.38 R 22.96

101.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.91 R 31.66

82.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.75 R 28.97

-14.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$21.37 R 354

89.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$0.44 R 7.24

506.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.71 R 11.78

122.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$7.68 R 127

359.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.54 R 25.48

-35.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K $35.8K

$35.0K R 580.7K

2.27%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$31.1K R 515.2K

-12.51%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 $219

$144 R 2,384

52.53%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.0 $58.0

$35.56 R 590

63.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$38.72 R 642

76.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$31.39 R 521

84.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$8.72 R 145

69.95%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$7.31 R 121

93.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,509 $1,509

$307 R 5,089

391.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$7,645 R 126.8K

180.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$52.9 R 878

-2.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$30.31 R 503

45.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$97.3 R 1,614

-12.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$82.0 R 1,360

28.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$467 R 7,748

313.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$396 R 6,571

221.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$835 R 13.9K

339.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$777 R 12.9K

225.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$879 R 14.6K

766.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$585 R 9,697

447.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$1,246 R 20.7K

309.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

11.78

-42.36%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Durban

$396 34.6% 68.9% $876

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Durban

$193 16.9% 52% $210

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Durban

$140 12.2% 59.9% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Durban

$218 19.1% 36.9% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Durban

$118 10.3% 8.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Durban

$46 4% 46.6% $40

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Durban

$32 2.8% 43.3% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $467 in Durban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 310% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $39.00 in Durban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $193 per month, with Durban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

3,442,361

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Durban 15,130 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Durban

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durban wins on cost – living expenses run 133% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Durban the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 310% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $467 in Durban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $1,160 in Durban – a 133% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Durban runs roughly 90% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,160 in Durban versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Durban but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Durban the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Durban gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.