Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Boksburg and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,210 in Boksburg, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
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Boksburg Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,210

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,210 in Boksburg versus $1,130 in Durban.

Boksburg $1,210
Durban $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,890 in Boksburg versus $1,748 in Durban.

Boksburg $1,890
Durban $1,748

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,570 in Boksburg versus $2,366 in Durban.

Boksburg $2,570
Durban $2,366

Living in Boksburg is roughly 7% more expensive than in Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Boksburg 11% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.05 R 201

$7.93 R 132

51.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.54 R 760

$39.14 R 653

16.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 R 88.9

$6.15 R 103

-13.33%

Cappuccino

$2.32 R 38.69

$2.73 R 45.60

-15.02%

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

$1.11 R 18.59

$1.12 R 18.61

-0.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 14.11

$0.91 R 15.24

-6.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 R 39.19

$2.43 R 40.55

-3.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R 45.83

$2.48 R 41.47

10.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.95

$1.17 R 19.55

11.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.72

$1.01 R 16.78

10.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.69

$1.50 R 25.01

18.67%

Eggs

$2.74 R 45.75

$2.43 R 40.57

12.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 R 142

$8.22 R 137

3.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.20 R 86.8

$5.32 R 88.7

-2.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$7.28 R 122

19.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.54

$1.95 R 32.50

-9.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.47

$1.95 R 32.51

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.40

$1.94 R 32.40

-9.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.59

$1.65 R 27.47

10.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.25

$1.55 R 25.86

5.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.72

$1.46 R 24.36

17.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.46

$1.17 R 19.45

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.18

$1.14 R 19.00

11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.1

$3.64 R 60.8

-10.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.88 R 98.2

$4.73 R 79.0

24.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 R 26.36

$1.41 R 23.46

12.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R 31.94

$1.89 R 31.62

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.83

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 356

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.23

$0.41 R 6.80

-24.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R 13.62

$0.76 R 12.61

7.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.32 R 239

$7.72 R 129

85.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 25.01

$1.49 R 24.88

0.67%

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

$34.8K R 581.3K

$35.5K R 592.4K

-1.87%

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

$34.8K R 581.0K

$32.3K R 539.5K

7.69%

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

$225 R 3,763

$148 R 2,464

52.68%

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

$38.67 R 646

$35.49 R 592

8.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.62 R 611

$39.45 R 659

-7.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.68 R 462

$31.01 R 518

-10.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 144

Cinema Ticket

$8.19 R 137

$7.39 R 123

10.83%

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

$244 R 4,070

$317 R 5,284

-22.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,450 R 91.0K

$7,714 R 128.8K

-29.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 R 872

$53.2 R 889

-1.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.39 R 758

$30.50 R 509

48.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,686

$99.1 R 1,653

1.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 R 1,874

$85.0 R 1,419

32.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$319 R 5,318

$445 R 7,427

-28.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$349 R 5,823

$374 R 6,251

-6.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R 11.1K

$814 R 13.6K

-18.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 R 13.0K

$744 R 12.4K

4.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,435

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$862 R 14.4K

$1,280 R 21.4K

-32.60%

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 Boksburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Boksburg

$349 28.8%

Durban

$374 33.1% 7.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Boksburg

$301 24.9%

Durban

$223 19.7% 26% $78

Groceries & Markets

Boksburg

$207 17.1%

Durban

$194 17.2% 6.1% $13

Eating Out

Boksburg

$165 13.7%

Durban

$140 12.4% 15.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Boksburg

$140 11.6%

Durban

$121 10.7% 13.9% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Boksburg

$44 3.6%

Durban

$46 4.1% 3.9% $1.7

Getting Around

Boksburg

$4.4 * 0.4%

Durban

$33 2.9% 644% $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 $319 in Boksburg and $445 in Durban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durban pays 48% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $46 in Boksburg vs $39 in Durban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $194 per month, with Durban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

05:38 5:38 AM

Same time as Boksburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

260,000

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Boksburg Durban 490 km

From you

Boksburg
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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

Boksburg vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,210 in Boksburg and $1,130 in Durban, so Durban is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 33% lower in Boksburg. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $319 in Boksburg versus $445 in Durban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Boksburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,210 per month in Boksburg versus $1,130 in Durban – Durban is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.