Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brackenfell and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Brackenfell: $1,028 a month against $1,150 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Brackenfell
Learn more

Brackenfell Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index

Jump to prices

Brackenfell

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,028

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,028 in Brackenfell versus $1,150 in Durban.

Brackenfell $1,028
Durban $1,150

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Brackenfell versus $1,777 in Durban.

Brackenfell $1,614
Durban $1,777

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,201 in Brackenfell versus $2,404 in Durban.

Brackenfell $2,201
Durban $2,404

Living in Brackenfell costs roughly 11% less than in Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brackenfell 24% lower, Durban 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.25 R 152

$7.84 R 129

17.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.89 R 394

$38.75 R 638

-38.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.12 R 101

$5.87 R 96.7

4.26%

Cappuccino

$2.42 R 39.82

$2.63 R 43.30

-7.98%

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

$1.08 R 17.79

$1.08 R 17.85

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.06

$0.89 R 14.72

2.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 38.98

$2.37 R 38.99

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 R 42.00

$2.62 R 43.10

-2.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R 17.35

$1.23 R 20.33

-14.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.11

$0.99 R 16.23

11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.61

$1.50 R 24.71

40.00%

Eggs

$1.89 R 31.17

$2.34 R 38.58

-19.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 R 131

$8.10 R 133

-1.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.65 R 43.71

$5.09 R 83.8

-47.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.79 R 112

$7.48 R 123

-9.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.10

$1.93 R 31.78

-24.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.09

$1.90 R 31.36

-0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.54

$1.91 R 31.42

-9.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.69

$1.64 R 27.09

-1.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 R 21.86

$1.49 R 24.61

-10.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R 17.49

$1.40 R 23.11

-24.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 R 14.28

$1.17 R 19.33

-25.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 R 17.71

$1.14 R 18.84

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.54 R 58.4

$3.64 R 60.0

-2.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.12 R 67.9

$4.75 R 78.2

-13.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 R 21.77

$1.41 R 23.27

-6.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.68

$1.85 R 30.45

3.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.80 R 29.63

-17.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.77 R 359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.28

$0.40 R 6.60

55.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.44

$0.76 R 12.47

15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.86 R 80.0

$7.53 R 124

-35.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R 21.13

$1.55 R 25.52

-17.42%

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

$17.7K R 291.5K

$35.0K R 577.2K

-49.50%

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

$19.2K R 316.7K

$31.3K R 515.5K

-38.56%

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

$116 R 1,909

$148 R 2,435

-21.59%

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

$28.58 R 471

$35.20 R 580

-18.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.30 R 648

$38.95 R 642

0.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.00 R 395

$31.79 R 524

-24.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.63 R 175

$9.10 R 150

16.81%

Cinema Ticket

$8.98 R 148

$7.32 R 121

22.68%

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

$150 R 2,463

$312 R 5,143

-52.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,714 R 110.6K

$7,555 R 124.5K

-11.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.71 R 687

$55.0 R 905

-24.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.30 R 367

$30.90 R 509

-27.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.9 R 1,070

$100 R 1,648

-35.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.85 R 821

$84.3 R 1,389

-40.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$655 R 10.8K

$463 R 7,621

41.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 R 6,501

$398 R 6,555

-0.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,306 R 21.5K

$818 R 13.5K

59.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 R 14.6K

$789 R 13.0K

12.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$873 R 14.4K

$878 R 14.5K

-0.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$647 R 10.7K

$580 R 9,557

11.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,813 R 29.9K

$1,271 R 20.9K

42.67%

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 Brackenfell: October 11, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brackenfell

$395 38.4%

Durban

$398 34.6% 0.8% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brackenfell

$184 17.9%

Durban

$222 19.3% 20.8% $38

Groceries & Markets

Brackenfell

$170 16.5%

Durban

$193 16.7% 13.4% $23

Eating Out

Brackenfell

$146 14.2%

Durban

$137 11.9% 6.4% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Brackenfell

$80 7.8%

Durban

$122 10.6% 51.1% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Brackenfell

$42 4.1%

Durban

$46 4% 10.6% $4.5

Getting Around

Brackenfell

$11 * 1.1%

Durban

$33 2.9% 203% $22

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 $655 in Brackenfell and $463 in Durban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brackenfell pays 43% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Brackenfell vs $39.00 in Durban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $193 per month, with Brackenfell cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Brackenfell

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

Same time as Brackenfell

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,000

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Brackenfell Durban 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Brackenfell
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

Brackenfell vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brackenfell wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Durban. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brackenfell the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 43% higher in Brackenfell, 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: $655 in Brackenfell versus $463 in Durban. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $150 in Brackenfell versus $312 in Durban. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Brackenfell – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $39.00 in Durban. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,028 in Brackenfell versus $1,150 in Durban, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brackenfell but tight or insufficient in Durban. The gap between the two cities makes Brackenfell the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Brackenfell gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Durban. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.