Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ballito and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Ballito: $618 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Ballito
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Ballito Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Ballito

🇿🇦 South Africa

$618

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ballito 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 Ballito and in Durban actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $618 in Ballito versus $1,130 in Durban.

Ballito $618
Durban $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $972 in Ballito versus $1,748 in Durban.

Ballito $972
Durban $1,748

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,327 in Ballito versus $2,366 in Durban.

Ballito $1,327
Durban $2,366

Living in Ballito costs roughly 45% less than in Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ballito 55% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.02 R 101

$7.93 R 132

-24.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.25 R 656

$39.14 R 654

0.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.85 R 97.7

$6.15 R 103

-4.88%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 44.42

$2.73 R 45.64

-2.56%

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

$1.13 R 18.91

$1.12 R 18.63

0.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$0.91 R 15.26

-1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R 33.04

$2.43 R 40.58

-18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R 41.68

$2.48 R 41.50

0.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R 16.68

$1.17 R 19.56

-14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 R 15.58

$1.01 R 16.80

-7.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.63

$1.50 R 25.03

-2.00%

Eggs

$2.44 R 40.75

$2.43 R 40.60

0.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.21 R 120

$8.22 R 137

-12.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.83 R 80.8

$5.32 R 88.8

-9.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.30 R 122

$7.28 R 122

0.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.50

$1.95 R 32.53

-21.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 R 31.11

$1.95 R 32.53

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.32

$1.94 R 32.43

-24.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.71

$1.65 R 27.49

4.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 R 17.11

$1.55 R 25.88

-34.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 23.22

$1.46 R 24.38

-4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.22

$1.17 R 19.46

3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 R 20.05

$1.14 R 19.01

5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 R 58.6

$3.64 R 60.9

-3.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.85 R 81.1

$4.73 R 79.1

2.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.63

$1.41 R 23.48

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 R 30.65

$1.89 R 31.65

-3.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 356

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.84

$0.41 R 6.80

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.65

$0.76 R 12.62

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.37 R 123

$7.72 R 129

-4.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.75

$1.49 R 24.90

-12.75%

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

$35.1K R 586.6K

$35.5K R 592.9K

-1.07%

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

$33.5K R 559.9K

$32.3K R 540.0K

3.69%

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

$147 R 2,448

$148 R 2,467

-0.75%

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

$22.16 R 370

$35.49 R 593

-37.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.37 R 591

$39.45 R 659

-10.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 518

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 144

Cinema Ticket

$6.16 R 103

$7.39 R 124

-16.64%

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

$306 R 5,118

$317 R 5,288

-3.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,455 R 124.6K

$7,714 R 128.9K

-3.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.38 R 691

$53.2 R 889

-22.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.89 R 499

$30.50 R 510

-2.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 R 986

$99.1 R 1,655

-40.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.4 R 1,376

$85.0 R 1,420

-3.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$448 R 7,478

$445 R 7,434

0.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,256

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 R 25.2K

$814 R 13.6K

85.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,443

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,479 R 24.7K

$1,280 R 21.4K

15.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

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

Last update for Ballito: October 27, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ballito

$204 33%

Durban

$223 19.7% 9.1% $19

Groceries & Markets

Ballito

$181 29.3%

Durban

$194 17.2% 7% $13

Eating Out

Ballito

$121 19.5%

Durban

$140 12.4% 16% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Ballito

$96 15.5%

Durban

$121 10.7% 25.9% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ballito

$12 * 2%

Durban

$46 4.1% 272% $33

Getting Around

Ballito

$4.2 * 0.7%

Durban

$33 2.9% 678% $28

Accommodation & Living

Ballito

- * 0%

Durban

$374 33.1%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $448 in Ballito and $445 in Durban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ballito pays 16% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39 in Ballito vs $39 in Durban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $194 per month, with Ballito cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Ballito

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

Same time as Ballito

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,718

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ballito Durban 41 km

From you

Ballito
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

Ballito vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ballito is about 45% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Ballito, 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: $448 in Ballito versus $445 in Durban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Durban. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Childcare runs $306 in Ballito versus $317 in Durban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $618 in Ballito versus $1,130 in Durban, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ballito but tight or insufficient in Durban. The gap between the two cities makes Ballito 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.