Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Bloemfontein

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,061 a month against $1,120 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,061

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Bloemfontein

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

A single person spends $1,120 per month in Durban vs $1,061 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Durban $1,120
Bloemfontein $1,061

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Durban vs $1,674 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Durban $1,725
Bloemfontein $1,674

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Durban vs $2,287 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Durban $2,330
Bloemfontein $2,287

Durban costs about 6% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Durban and Bloemfontein are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Bloemfontein 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.55 R 142

$11.84 R 197

-27.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 R 613

$41.31 R 688

-10.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 R 101

$7.00 R 117

-13.57%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 44.35

$2.07 R 34.53

28.50%

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

$1.06 R 17.71

$1.44 R 24.00

-26.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.97

$1.07 R 17.91

-21.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.55

$2.58 R 42.94

-5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.70

$2.76 R 45.98

-11.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.78

$1.03 R 17.14

15.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 R 16.05

$1.07 R 17.75

-10.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.86

$2.12 R 35.34

-29.72%

Eggs

$2.26 R 37.59

$2.17 R 36.09

4.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 R 135

$7.67 R 128

5.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 83.3

$4.83 R 80.5

3.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 R 126

$7.60 R 127

-0.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 R 33.04

$1.88 R 31.35

5.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.36

$1.56 R 25.96

24.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 32.18

$1.74 R 28.99

10.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.17

$1.57 R 26.08

3.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.94

$1.57 R 26.13

-8.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.77

$1.85 R 30.80

-25.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.15

$1.09 R 18.16

11.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.65

$0.96 R 16.02

22.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.6

$2.54 R 42.39

38.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 79.0

$4.71 R 78.5

0.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.63

$1.81 R 30.10

-18.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.34

$1.36 R 22.62

42.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 R 29.50

$0.91 R 15.18

94.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.91 R 365

$75.5 R 1,258

-70.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.69

$1.11 R 18.45

-63.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.85

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 R 129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 25.20

$1.46 R 24.28

3.42%

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

$35.9K R 597.6K

$36.3K R 605.0K

-1.22%

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

$33.4K R 556.6K

$29.4K R 490.1K

13.56%

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

$147 R 2,454

$76.6 R 1,277

92.23%

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

$38.50 R 642

$33.40 R 557

15.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.93 R 632

$32.15 R 536

17.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 R 504

$31.41 R 523

-3.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 R 150

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 R 121

$4.93 R 82.1

47.26%

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

$309 R 5,153

$192 R 3,205

60.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,433 R 123.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 876

$59.0 R 984

-10.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.16 R 453

$42.91 R 715

-36.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 R 1,596

$134 R 2,241

-28.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 R 1,364

$111 R 1,846

-26.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 R 7,072

$319 R 5,322

32.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 R 6,111

$285 R 4,744

28.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 R 13.1K

$515 R 8,579

52.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.1K

$537 R 8,945

34.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$836 R 13.9K

$477 R 7,952

75.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,588

$622 R 10.4K

-7.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 R 21.7K

$1,325 R 22.1K

-1.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

12.13

-3.54%

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

Last update for Durban: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$367 32.8%

Bloemfontein

$285 26.8% 22.4% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$224 20%

Bloemfontein

$142 13.4% 36.4% $82

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 17.2%

Bloemfontein

$187 17.6% 2.9% $5.6

Eating Out

Durban

$143 12.8%

Bloemfontein

$169 15.9% 18.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$116 10.3%

Bloemfontein

$156 14.7% 34.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$45 4%

Bloemfontein

$41 3.9% 7.8% $3.5

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Bloemfontein

$80 * 7.6% 144% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in Durban versus $319 in Bloemfontein. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban versus $41 in Bloemfontein. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Durban vs $187 in Bloemfontein – so Bloemfontein wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🕒 Local time

16:01 4:01 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

370,000 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Durban Bloemfontein 470 km

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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

Durban vs Bloemfontein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durban costs about 6% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,680 per month in Durban and $1,591 in Bloemfontein. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $319 there versus $424 in Durban.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Durban, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban and $41 in Bloemfontein. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,120 in Durban and $1,061 in Bloemfontein. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Bloemfontein – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.