Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bellville and Durban

For one person, living costs are similar in Bellville and in Durban: $1,153 and $1,130 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
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Bellville Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,153 in Bellville versus $1,130 in Durban.

Bellville $1,153
Durban $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,785 in Bellville versus $1,748 in Durban.

Bellville $1,785
Durban $1,748

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,418 in Bellville versus $2,366 in Durban.

Bellville $2,418
Durban $2,366

Living in Bellville is roughly 2% more expensive than in Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bellville 15% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 R 204

$7.93 R 132

54.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.27 R 404

$39.14 R 651

-37.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.08 R 101

$6.15 R 102

-1.14%

Cappuccino

$1.96 R 32.61

$2.73 R 45.45

-28.21%

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

$1.36 R 22.59

$1.12 R 18.55

21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.10

$0.91 R 15.19

13.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 R 37.04

$2.43 R 40.41

-8.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 61.1

$2.48 R 41.33

47.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.71

$1.17 R 19.48

17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 R 20.97

$1.01 R 16.73

24.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 R 36.69

$1.50 R 24.92

47.33%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.8

$2.43 R 40.43

27.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 R 151

$8.22 R 137

10.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.96 R 116

$5.32 R 88.4

30.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.79 R 163

$7.28 R 121

34.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.83

$1.95 R 32.40

-5.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.58

$1.95 R 32.40

-2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.32

$1.94 R 32.30

-9.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.47

$1.65 R 27.37

29.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.26

$1.55 R 25.77

-1.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.94

$1.46 R 24.28

2.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 R 21.81

$1.17 R 19.38

11.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.14

$1.14 R 18.93

0.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 R 62.1

$3.64 R 60.6

2.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 R 104

$4.73 R 78.8

31.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.54

$1.41 R 23.39

-4.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.64

$1.89 R 31.52

13.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.79 R 29.73

-16.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.58 R 9.65

$0.41 R 6.77

41.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.66

$0.76 R 12.57

94.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 R 84.7

$7.72 R 128

-34.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.67

$1.49 R 24.79

3.36%

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

$35.3K R 587.8K

$35.5K R 590.5K

-0.46%

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

$34.4K R 572.9K

$32.3K R 537.7K

6.55%

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

$119 R 1,985

$148 R 2,456

-19.18%

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

$28.93 R 481

$35.49 R 590

-18.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.84 R 663

$39.45 R 656

0.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.04 R 550

$31.01 R 516

6.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.06 R 184

$8.61 R 143

28.46%

Cinema Ticket

$8.92 R 148

$7.39 R 123

20.70%

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

$266 R 4,432

$317 R 5,266

-15.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,949 R 115.6K

$7,714 R 128.3K

-9.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.9 R 947

$53.2 R 886

6.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.09 R 534

$30.50 R 507

5.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,989

$99.1 R 1,648

20.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,782

$85.0 R 1,414

25.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 R 6,543

$445 R 7,402

-11.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 R 6,028

$374 R 6,230

-3.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$814 R 13.5K

-10.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$746 R 12.4K

$744 R 12.4K

0.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$879 R 14.6K

$820 R 13.6K

7.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$685 R 11.4K

$565 R 9,404

21.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.78

-6.88%

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

Last update for Bellville: October 27, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bellville

$362 31.4%

Durban

$374 33.1% 3.4% $12

Groceries & Markets

Bellville

$228 19.7%

Durban

$194 17.2% 14.7% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bellville

$188 16.3%

Durban

$223 19.7% 18.3% $35

Eating Out

Bellville

$168 14.6%

Durban

$140 12.4% 16.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Bellville

$142 12.3%

Durban

$121 10.7% 15.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Bellville

$51 4.4%

Durban

$46 4.1% 10% $5.1

Getting Around

Bellville

$14 * 1.2%

Durban

$33 2.9% 134% $19

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 $393 in Bellville and $445 in Durban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24 in Bellville vs $39 in Durban. Groceries flip the comparison at $228 vs $194, with Durban cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bellville

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

09:44 9:44 AM

Same time as Bellville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,507

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bellville Durban 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bellville
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

Bellville vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durban wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Bellville. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Durban the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,729 in Bellville and $1,695 in Durban to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $393 in Bellville versus $445 in Durban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Bellville. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,153 per month in Bellville versus $1,130 in Durban – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,500 a month, though Durban gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.