Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benoni and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,067 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,067

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Benoni versus $1,130 in Durban.

Benoni $1,067
Durban $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,318 in Benoni versus $1,748 in Durban.

Benoni $1,318
Durban $1,748

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,568 in Benoni versus $2,366 in Durban.

Benoni $1,568
Durban $2,366

Living in Benoni costs roughly 6% less than in Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Benoni 22% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.86 R 165

$7.93 R 132

24.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.05 R 619

$39.14 R 654

-5.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 R 92.7

$6.15 R 103

-9.76%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 36.21

$2.73 R 45.64

-20.51%

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

$1.14 R 19.02

$1.12 R 18.63

1.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 14.08

$0.91 R 15.26

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 39.54

$2.43 R 40.58

-2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R 45.92

$2.48 R 41.50

10.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 20.21

$1.17 R 19.56

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.66

$1.01 R 16.80

10.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.83

$1.50 R 25.03

19.33%

Eggs

$2.49 R 41.52

$2.43 R 40.60

2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.18 R 137

$8.22 R 137

-0.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 R 81.0

$5.32 R 88.8

-8.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 R 119

$7.28 R 122

-2.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.03

$1.95 R 32.53

-10.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.73

$1.95 R 32.53

-17.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.64

$1.94 R 32.43

-8.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 26.14

$1.65 R 27.49

-5.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 R 17.88

$1.55 R 25.88

-30.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R 19.60

$1.46 R 24.38

-19.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.33

$1.17 R 19.46

4.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.66

$1.14 R 19.01

14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.9

$3.64 R 60.9

-3.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 83.0

$4.73 R 79.1

5.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 25.27

$1.41 R 23.48

7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 R 33.13

$1.89 R 31.65

4.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 356

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.80

$0.41 R 6.80

-29.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.56

$0.76 R 12.62

22.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.37 R 240

$7.72 R 129

86.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.61

$1.49 R 24.90

2.68%

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

$35.4K R 592.0K

$35.5K R 592.9K

-0.15%

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

$34.4K R 575.4K

$32.3K R 540.0K

6.56%

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

$197 R 3,294

$148 R 2,467

33.54%

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

$39.26 R 656

$35.49 R 593

10.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.82 R 632

$39.45 R 659

-4.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.81 R 298

$31.01 R 518

-42.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 144

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 R 119

$7.39 R 124

-3.25%

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

$246 R 4,108

$317 R 5,288

-22.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,379 R 89.9K

$7,714 R 128.9K

-30.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 870

$53.2 R 889

-2.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.79 R 531

$30.50 R 510

4.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.2 R 1,524

$99.1 R 1,655

-7.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.3 R 1,376

$85.0 R 1,420

-3.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$393 R 6,564

$445 R 7,434

-11.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 R 5,049

$374 R 6,256

-19.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 R 8,178

$814 R 13.6K

-39.84%

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)

$2,000 R 33.4K

$1,280 R 21.4K

56.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.78

-7.39%

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

Last update for Benoni: October 25, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benoni

$302 28.3%

Durban

$374 33.1% 23.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benoni

$274 25.7%

Durban

$223 19.7% 18.8% $52

Groceries & Markets

Benoni

$191 17.9%

Durban

$194 17.2% 1.6% $3

Eating Out

Benoni

$147 13.8%

Durban

$140 12.4% 4.7% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Benoni

$116 10.9%

Durban

$121 10.7% 4% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Benoni

$32 3%

Durban

$46 4.1% 42.6% $14

Getting Around

Benoni

$4.9 * 0.5%

Durban

$33 2.9% 561% $28

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

Benoni pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Benoni vs $39 in Durban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $194 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Benoni

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

Same time as Benoni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,777

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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Between locations

Benoni Durban 490 km

From you

Benoni
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

Benoni vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,067 in Benoni and $1,130 in Durban, so Benoni is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Benoni, 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: $393 in Benoni versus $445 in Durban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $246 in Benoni versus $317 in Durban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,067 per month in Benoni versus $1,130 in Durban – Benoni is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Benoni gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.