Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Benoni

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,067 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $760 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Benoni

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 Benoni actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,130 in Durban versus $1,067 in Benoni.

Durban $1,130
Benoni $1,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,748 in Durban versus $1,318 in Benoni.

Durban $1,748
Benoni $1,318

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,366 in Durban versus $1,568 in Benoni.

Durban $2,366
Benoni $1,568

Living in Durban is roughly 6% more expensive than in Benoni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Durban 17% lower, Benoni 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$9.86 R 165

-19.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 654

$37.05 R 619

5.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$5.55 R 92.7

10.81%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.64

$2.17 R 36.21

25.81%

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

$1.12 R 18.63

$1.14 R 19.02

-1.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.26

$0.84 R 14.08

8.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.58

$2.37 R 39.54

2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.50

$2.75 R 45.92

-9.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.56

$1.21 R 20.21

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.80

$1.12 R 18.66

-9.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 25.03

$1.79 R 29.83

-16.20%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.60

$2.49 R 41.52

-2.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$8.18 R 137

0.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.8

$4.85 R 81.0

9.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 122

$7.12 R 119

2.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.53

$1.74 R 29.03

12.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.53

$1.60 R 26.73

21.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.43

$1.77 R 29.64

9.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.49

$1.56 R 26.14

5.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.88

$1.07 R 17.88

44.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.38

$1.17 R 19.60

24.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.46

$1.22 R 20.33

-4.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 19.01

$1.30 R 21.66

-12.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.9

$3.52 R 58.9

3.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 79.1

$4.97 R 83.0

-4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.48

$1.51 R 25.27

-6.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.65

$1.98 R 33.13

-4.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 356

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.80

$0.29 R 4.80

41.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.62

$0.93 R 15.56

-18.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$14.37 R 240

-46.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.90

$1.53 R 25.61

-2.61%

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

$35.5K R 592.9K

$35.4K R 592.0K

0.15%

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

$32.3K R 540.0K

$34.4K R 575.4K

-6.15%

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

$148 R 2,467

$197 R 3,294

-25.11%

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

$35.49 R 593

$39.26 R 656

-9.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 659

$37.82 R 632

4.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 518

$17.81 R 298

74.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 144

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 124

$7.15 R 119

3.36%

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

$317 R 5,288

$246 R 4,108

28.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.9K

$5,379 R 89.9K

43.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 889

$52.1 R 870

2.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 510

$31.79 R 531

-4.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,655

$91.2 R 1,524

8.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,420

$82.3 R 1,376

3.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,434

$393 R 6,564

13.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,256

$302 R 5,049

23.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

$489 R 8,178

66.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,443

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.4K

$2,000 R 33.4K

-36.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.91

7.97%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Benoni: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Benoni

$302 28.3% 19.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Benoni

$274 25.7% 23.2% $52

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Benoni

$191 17.9% 1.5% $3

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Benoni

$147 13.8% 4.9% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Benoni

$116 10.9% 3.9% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Benoni

$32 3% 29.9% $14

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Benoni

$4.9 * 0.5% 84.9% $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 $445 in Durban and $393 in Benoni. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Benoni pays 56% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $39 in Durban vs $37 in Benoni for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $191 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Benoni

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

158,777

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Durban Benoni 490 km

From you

Durban
Benoni

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 Benoni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,130 in Durban and $1,067 in Benoni, so Benoni is about 6% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Durban. 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: $445 in Durban versus $393 in Benoni. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $317 in Durban versus $246 in Benoni. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,130 per month in Durban versus $1,067 in Benoni – Benoni is about 6% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Benoni 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.