Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bhisho and Durban

For one person, living costs are similar in Bhisho and in Durban: $1,142 and $1,120 a month, rent and utilities included.

55

Cost of Living Index in Bhisho
Learn more

Bhisho Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index

Jump to prices

Bhisho

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,142

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,142 in Bhisho versus $1,120 in Durban.

Bhisho $1,142
Durban $1,120

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,802 in Bhisho versus $1,725 in Durban.

Bhisho $1,802
Durban $1,725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,462 in Bhisho versus $2,330 in Durban.

Bhisho $2,462
Durban $2,330

Monthly costs are close between Bhisho and Durban; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bhisho 16% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.99 R 183

$8.55 R 142

28.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.60 R 710

$36.80 R 613

15.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 98.1

$6.05 R 101

-2.81%

Cappuccino

$2.06 R 34.28

$2.66 R 44.35

-22.56%

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

$1.02 R 16.98

$1.06 R 17.71

-3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R 12.21

$0.84 R 13.97

-13.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.66 R 44.24

$2.43 R 40.55

9.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 R 53.0

$2.44 R 40.70

30.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 R 18.87

$1.19 R 19.78

-5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.37

$0.96 R 16.05

8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.09

$1.49 R 24.86

1.34%

Eggs

$2.71 R 45.09

$2.26 R 37.59

19.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.81 R 147

$8.09 R 135

8.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 R 86.7

$5.00 R 83.3

4.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.53 R 142

$7.56 R 126

12.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R 36.32

$1.98 R 33.04

10.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.49

$1.94 R 32.36

-21.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.92

$1.93 R 32.18

-12.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.86

$1.63 R 27.17

6.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.81

$1.44 R 23.94

15.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.70

$1.37 R 22.77

3.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.78

$1.21 R 20.15

3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.38

$1.18 R 19.65

-16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.30 R 55.0

$3.52 R 58.6

-6.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.70 R 78.4

$4.74 R 79.0

-0.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.25

$1.48 R 24.63

-17.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 29.36

$1.94 R 32.34

-9.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.64

$1.77 R 29.50

0.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.99 R 400

$21.91 R 365

9.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 R 13.75

$0.40 R 6.69

107.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.33

$0.71 R 11.85

-29.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.31 R 139

$7.77 R 129

6.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 R 24.53

$1.51 R 25.20

-2.65%

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

$34.4K R 573.1K

$35.9K R 597.6K

-4.10%

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

$35.4K R 589.9K

$33.4K R 556.6K

5.99%

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

$124 R 2,073

$147 R 2,454

-15.51%

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

$34.58 R 576

$38.50 R 642

-10.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.53 R 759

$37.93 R 632

20.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 R 538

$30.24 R 504

6.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.98 R 200

$9.01 R 150

32.96%

Cinema Ticket

$10.38 R 173

$7.26 R 121

42.98%

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

$177 R 2,955

$309 R 5,153

-42.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,036 R 100.6K

$7,433 R 123.9K

-18.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 R 1,178

$52.6 R 876

34.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.97 R 649

$27.16 R 453

43.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,834

$95.8 R 1,596

14.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.3 R 1,621

$81.9 R 1,364

18.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,625

$424 R 7,072

-6.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 R 5,908

$367 R 6,111

-3.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 12.0K

$785 R 13.1K

-8.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.1K

0.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$771 R 12.8K

$836 R 13.9K

-7.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$671 R 11.2K

$575 R 9,588

16.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,243 R 54.0K

$1,301 R 21.7K

149.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

11.7

2.05%

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

Last update for Bhisho: November 1, 2026

Last update for Durban: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bhisho

$355 31.1%

Durban

$367 32.8% 3.4% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bhisho

$205 17.9%

Durban

$224 20% 9.4% $19

Groceries & Markets

Bhisho

$196 17.1%

Durban

$193 17.2% 1.6% $3.1

Eating Out

Bhisho

$157 13.7%

Durban

$143 12.8% 8.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Bhisho

$143 12.5%

Durban

$116 10.3% 18.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Bhisho

$53 4.7%

Durban

$45 4% 15.7% $8.3

Getting Around

Bhisho

$34 3%

Durban

$33 2.9% 4.3% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $398 in Bhisho and $424 in Durban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bhisho pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Bhisho vs $37 in Durban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $193 per month, with Durban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bhisho

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

Same time as Bhisho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

137,287

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bhisho Durban 470 km

From you

Bhisho
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

Bhisho vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay in Bhisho is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $398 in Bhisho versus $424 in Durban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Durban runs roughly 9% less than in Bhisho. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Dining out is cheaper in Durban – a meal for two runs $37 versus $43 in Bhisho. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Durban wins on affordability, Bhisho on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.