Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Durban Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Durban

😐 Solo nomad: Cape Town is 20.7% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 19.7% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cape Town is 25.1% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 37.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.06 R 180

$7.35 R 120

50.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.39 R 740

$27.99 R 456

62.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 R 83.0

$4.93 R 80.5

3.25%

Cappuccino

$2.08 R 33.90

$1.96 R 32.00

6.12%

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

$1.16 R 18.98

$0.89 R 14.52

30.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.56

$0.71 R 11.66

25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 R 46.30

$1.94 R 31.68

46.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 39.93

$2.17 R 35.45

12.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R 17.89

$1.03 R 16.87

6.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 17.87

$0.96 R 15.64

14.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.86

$1.47 R 24.01

24.49%

Eggs

$2.50 R 40.79

$2.10 R 34.25

19.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 R 141

$7.23 R 118

19.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.06 R 82.6

$4.50 R 73.4

12.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 R 124

$6.26 R 102

21.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.62

$1.50 R 24.51

4.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 R 23.06

$1.37 R 22.36

2.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.52

$1.38 R 22.51

8.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R 24.96

$1.35 R 22.09

13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.70

$1.32 R 21.50

-17.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.28

$1.17 R 19.11

0.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 R 17.28

$1.03 R 16.78

2.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.10

$0.89 R 14.58

11.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 R 50.7

$3.04 R 49.55

2.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.36 R 104

$4.88 R 79.7

30.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R 22.32

$1.46 R 23.77

-6.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 28.61

$1.73 R 28.24

1.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 14.95

$1.55 R 25.31

-40.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.28 R 787

$38.88 R 634

24.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 R 22.47

$1.70 R 27.69

-18.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.17

$0.58 R 9.43

60.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 R 71.2

$6.59 R 108

-33.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R 19.58

$1.33 R 21.69

-9.77%

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

$21.6K R 352.1K

$20.5K R 333.8K

5.48%

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

$24.0K R 391.5K

$24.0K R 392.0K

-0.12%

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

$101 R 1,655

$145 R 2,359

-29.86%

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

$32.97 R 538

$29.02 R 473

13.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.85 R 666

$33.87 R 552

20.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.59 R 695

$34.73 R 566

22.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.89 R 129

$9.45 R 154

-16.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.62 R 108

$6.79 R 111

-2.50%

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

$213 R 3,471

$204 R 3,322

4.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,331 R 86.9K

$4,538 R 74.0K

17.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 R 891

$42.70 R 696

27.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.27 R 543

$30.08 R 491

10.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,867

$93.8 R 1,531

22.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 R 1,370

$73.2 R 1,194

14.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 R 12.5K

$365 R 5,955

110.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 R 8,556

$371 R 6,043

41.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 R 23.5K

$734 R 12.0K

96.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 R 16.4K

$598 R 9,749

68.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,240 R 36.5K

$963 R 15.7K

132.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,451 R 23.7K

$698 R 11.4K

107.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 R 27.8K

$1,278 R 20.8K

33.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.77

12.01

-2.00%

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

Last update for Cape Town: April 14, 2026

Last update for Durban: April 13, 2026

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

Cape Town vs other spots: cost of living compared

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