Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloemfontein and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,058 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Bloemfontein vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,058
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $1,668 per month in Bloemfontein vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,668
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $2,278 per month in Bloemfontein vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Bloemfontein $2,278
Durban $2,366

Bloemfontein is about 6% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Bloemfontein and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Bloemfontein 22% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.85 R 197

$7.93 R 132

49.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.31 R 669

$39.14 R 650

2.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.98 R 116

$6.15 R 102

13.50%

Cappuccino

$2.10 R 34.83

$2.73 R 45.37

-23.08%

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

$1.38 R 22.90

$1.12 R 18.52

23.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.71

$0.91 R 15.16

24.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 R 41.67

$2.43 R 40.33

3.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 R 46.02

$2.48 R 41.25

11.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.17

$1.17 R 19.44

-11.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 R 17.07

$1.01 R 16.69

1.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 R 34.40

$1.50 R 24.88

38.00%

Eggs

$2.15 R 35.64

$2.43 R 40.35

-11.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.57 R 126

$8.22 R 136

-7.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R 80.7

$5.32 R 88.3

-8.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.03 R 133

$7.28 R 121

10.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.25

$1.95 R 32.33

-3.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.69

$1.95 R 32.34

-23.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.65

$1.94 R 32.23

-7.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.91

$1.65 R 27.32

-9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.04

$1.55 R 25.72

-2.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.26

$1.46 R 24.23

24.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 R 18.94

$1.17 R 19.35

-2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.29

$1.14 R 18.90

-19.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 R 40.44

$3.64 R 60.5

-32.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.92 R 81.7

$4.73 R 78.6

4.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 30.05

$1.41 R 23.34

28.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.54

$1.89 R 31.46

-28.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 15.33

$1.79 R 29.68

-48.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.8 R 1,259

$21.32 R 354

255.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 R 17.42

$0.41 R 6.76

156.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.55

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 24.29

$1.49 R 24.75

-2.01%

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

$35.8K R 594.8K

$35.5K R 589.3K

0.93%

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

$29.2K R 484.9K

$32.3K R 536.7K

-9.64%

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

$78.3 R 1,300

$148 R 2,452

-46.97%

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

$32.92 R 547

$35.49 R 589

-7.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.36 R 537

$39.45 R 655

-17.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.39 R 521

$31.01 R 515

1.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 R 82.1

$7.39 R 123

-33.15%

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

$194 R 3,228

$317 R 5,256

-38.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.0 R 996

$53.2 R 884

12.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.72 R 693

$30.50 R 506

36.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 R 2,230

$99.1 R 1,645

35.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 R 1,891

$85.0 R 1,412

33.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$311 R 5,165

$445 R 7,388

-30.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$279 R 4,629

$374 R 6,218

-25.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 R 8,467

$814 R 13.5K

-37.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$529 R 8,786

$744 R 12.4K

-28.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$477 R 7,919

$820 R 13.6K

-41.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$617 R 10.3K

$565 R 9,386

9.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,291 R 21.4K

$1,280 R 21.2K

0.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.13

11.78

2.97%

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

Last update for Bloemfontein: 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

Bloemfontein

$279 26.4%

Durban

$374 33.1% 34.3% $96

Groceries & Markets

Bloemfontein

$187 17.7%

Durban

$194 17.2% 3.8% $7.2

Eating Out

Bloemfontein

$169 16%

Durban

$140 12.4% 17.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Bloemfontein

$157 14.9%

Durban

$121 10.7% 23.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloemfontein

$144 13.6%

Durban

$223 19.7% 55% $79

Getting Around

Bloemfontein

$81 * 7.6%

Durban

$33 2.9% 59.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Bloemfontein

$41 3.9%

Durban

$46 4.1% 11% $4.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $311 in Bloemfontein versus $445 in Durban. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Bloemfontein versus $39 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $187 in Bloemfontein vs $194 in Durban – so Bloemfontein wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

Same time as Bloemfontein

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000 Capital

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Bloemfontein vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durban costs about 7% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,586 per month in Bloemfontein and $1,695 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $311 there versus $445 in Durban.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Durban, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Bloemfontein and $39 in Durban. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,058 in Bloemfontein and $1,130 in Durban. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bloemfontein – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.