Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Bellville

For one person, living costs are similar in Durban and in Bellville: $1,130 and $1,153 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Bellville
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Bellville Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Bellville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Bellville

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Durban and in Bellville actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,130 in Durban versus $1,153 in Bellville.

Durban $1,130
Bellville $1,153

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,748 in Durban versus $1,785 in Bellville.

Durban $1,748
Bellville $1,785

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,366 in Durban versus $2,418 in Bellville.

Durban $2,366
Bellville $2,418

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Durban 17% lower, Bellville 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$12.25 R 204

-35.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 652

$24.27 R 404

61.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$6.08 R 101

1.15%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.52

$1.96 R 32.66

39.29%

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

$1.12 R 18.58

$1.36 R 22.63

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.22

$1.03 R 17.13

-11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.48

$2.23 R 37.10

8.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.39

$3.67 R 61.2

-32.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.51

$1.37 R 22.75

-14.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.75

$1.26 R 21.00

-19.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.96

$2.21 R 36.75

-32.13%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.49

$3.11 R 51.9

-21.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$9.11 R 152

-9.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.6

$6.96 R 116

-23.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$9.79 R 163

-25.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$1.85 R 30.87

5.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$1.90 R 31.63

2.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.35

$1.76 R 29.36

10.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.42

$2.13 R 35.53

-22.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.81

$1.52 R 25.30

1.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.32

$1.50 R 24.98

-2.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.41

$1.31 R 21.85

-10.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.96

$1.15 R 19.17

-0.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.7

$3.73 R 62.2

-2.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.9

$6.24 R 104

-24.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.42

$1.35 R 22.58

4.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.57

$2.14 R 35.70

-11.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.78

$1.49 R 24.85

20.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$0.58 R 9.67

-29.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.59

$1.48 R 24.70

-48.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$5.09 R 84.8

51.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.83

$1.54 R 25.71

-3.25%

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

$35.5K R 591.4K

$35.3K R 588.7K

0.46%

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

$32.3K R 538.6K

$34.4K R 573.9K

-6.15%

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

$148 R 2,460

$119 R 1,988

23.74%

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

$35.49 R 591

$28.93 R 482

22.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 657

$39.84 R 664

-0.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 517

$33.04 R 551

-6.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

$11.06 R 184

-22.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$8.92 R 149

-17.15%

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

$317 R 5,274

$266 R 4,439

18.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.5K

$6,949 R 115.8K

11.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 887

$56.9 R 948

-6.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 508

$32.09 R 535

-4.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,651

$120 R 1,992

-17.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,417

$107 R 1,784

-20.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,414

$393 R 6,553

13.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,240

$362 R 6,038

3.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

$727 R 12.1K

11.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$746 R 12.4K

-0.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

$879 R 14.6K

-6.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,419

$685 R 11.4K

-17.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.97

7.38%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bellville: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Bellville

$362 31.4% 3.2% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Bellville

$188 16.3% 15.5% $35

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Bellville

$228 19.7% 17.2% $33

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Bellville

$168 14.6% 19.9% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Bellville

$142 12.3% 17.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Bellville

$51 4.4% 11.1% $5.1

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Bellville

$14 * 1.2% 57.3% $19

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 $445 in Durban and $393 in Bellville. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $39 in Durban vs $24 in Bellville. Groceries flip the comparison at $194 vs $228, with Durban cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Bellville

🕒 Local time

22:34 10:34 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

112,507

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Durban Bellville 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Bellville

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

Durban vs Bellville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $1,695 in Durban and $1,729 in Bellville to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $445 in Durban versus $393 in Bellville. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Bellville. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bellville – a meal for two runs $24 versus $39 in Durban. 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.