Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Boksburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,210 in Boksburg, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Boksburg
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Boksburg Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Boksburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Boksburg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,130 in Durban versus $1,210 in Boksburg.

Durban $1,130
Boksburg $1,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,748 in Durban versus $1,890 in Boksburg.

Durban $1,748
Boksburg $1,890

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,366 in Durban versus $2,570 in Boksburg.

Durban $2,366
Boksburg $2,570

Living in Durban costs roughly 7% less than in Boksburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Durban 17% lower, Boksburg 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$12.05 R 201

-34.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 653

$45.54 R 760

-14.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$5.33 R 88.9

15.38%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.60

$2.32 R 38.69

17.67%

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

$1.12 R 18.61

$1.11 R 18.59

0.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.24

$0.85 R 14.11

7.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.55

$2.35 R 39.19

3.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.47

$2.75 R 45.83

-9.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.55

$1.31 R 21.95

-10.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.78

$1.12 R 18.72

-9.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 25.01

$1.78 R 29.69

-15.73%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.57

$2.74 R 45.75

-11.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$8.48 R 142

-3.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.7

$5.20 R 86.8

2.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 122

$8.73 R 146

-16.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.50

$1.77 R 29.54

10.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.51

$1.65 R 27.47

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.40

$1.76 R 29.40

10.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.47

$1.83 R 30.59

-9.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.86

$1.63 R 27.25

-4.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.36

$1.72 R 28.72

-15.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.45

$1.17 R 19.46

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 19.00

$1.27 R 21.18

-10.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.8

$3.24 R 54.1

12.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 79.0

$5.88 R 98.2

-19.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.46

$1.58 R 26.36

-10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.62

$1.91 R 31.94

-1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.83

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 356

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.80

$0.31 R 5.23

32.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.61

$0.82 R 13.62

-7.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$14.32 R 239

-46.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.88

$1.50 R 25.01

-0.67%

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

$35.5K R 592.4K

$34.8K R 581.3K

1.90%

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

$32.3K R 539.5K

$34.8K R 581.0K

-7.14%

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

$148 R 2,464

$225 R 3,763

-34.50%

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

$35.49 R 592

$38.67 R 646

-8.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 659

$36.62 R 611

7.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 518

$27.68 R 462

12.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 144

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$8.19 R 137

-9.77%

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

$317 R 5,284

$244 R 4,070

29.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.8K

$5,450 R 91.0K

41.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 889

$52.2 R 872

1.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 509

$45.39 R 758

-32.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,653

$101 R 1,686

-1.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,419

$112 R 1,874

-24.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,427

$319 R 5,318

39.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,251

$349 R 5,823

7.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

$663 R 11.1K

22.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$777 R 13.0K

-4.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,435

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.4K

$862 R 14.4K

48.36%

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 Boksburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Boksburg

$349 28.8% 6.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Boksburg

$301 24.9% 35.1% $78

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Boksburg

$207 17.1% 6.5% $13

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Boksburg

$165 13.7% 18.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Boksburg

$140 11.6% 16.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Boksburg

$44 3.6% 3.8% $1.7

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Boksburg

$4.4 * 0.4% 86.6% $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 $319 in Boksburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Durban pays 48% 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 $46 in Boksburg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $207 per month, with Durban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Boksburg

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

260,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Durban Boksburg 490 km

From you

Durban
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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 Boksburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,130 in Durban and $1,210 in Boksburg, so Durban is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Durban, 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: $445 in Durban versus $319 in Boksburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Boksburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,130 per month in Durban versus $1,210 in Boksburg – Durban is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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.