Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,160 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
Learn more

Cairo Living Index

Jump to prices

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,160 per month in Durban vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Durban $1,160
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $1,785 per month in Durban vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Durban $1,785
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $2,411 per month in Durban vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Durban $2,411
Cairo $1,431

Durban costs about 80% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Durban and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Durban 13% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 R 132

$4.69 E£245

70.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.89 R 642

$28.49 E£1,491

36.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 R 101

$6.03 E£315

1.66%

Cappuccino

$2.64 R 43.62

$1.81 E£94.7

45.86%

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

$1.13 R 18.67

$0.35 E£18.18

222.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.00

$0.15 E£7.95

506.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.26

$1.45 E£76.0

68.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 R 42.30

$2.24 E£117

14.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 20.01

$0.97 E£50.7

24.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 R 15.35

$0.73 E£37.96

27.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.58

$0.77 E£40.24

93.51%

Eggs

$2.35 R 38.78

$1.17 E£61.2

100.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 R 135

$4.32 E£226

89.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 R 87.2

$5.07 E£265

4.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 R 116

$8.92 E£467

-21.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 R 32.49

$1.83 E£95.8

7.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$0.75 E£39.07

160.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.39

$0.57 E£29.78

243.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.52

$0.51 E£26.62

227.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.27

$0.38 E£20.05

302.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.67

$0.42 E£21.88

240.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R 19.11

$0.35 E£18.43

231.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 R 19.86

$0.24 E£12.57

400.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 R 58.7

$1.99 E£104

78.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.68 R 77.2

$7.48 E£391

-37.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.84

$1.52 E£79.4

-9.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R 31.49

$2.13 E£112

-10.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 R 28.82

$0.33 E£17.10

430.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 R 353

$8.66 E£453

146.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.20

$0.37 E£19.27

18.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.72

$0.20 E£10.65

255.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 R 127

$1.49 E£77.8

415.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.35

$0.46 E£23.94

234.78%

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

$35.0K R 577.6K

$32.6K E£1.7M

7.30%

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

$31.1K R 512.5K

$28.4K E£1.5M

9.39%

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

$144 R 2,372

$27.54 E£1,441

422.00%

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

$35.56 R 587

$8.27 E£432

329.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.72 R 639

$14.05 E£735

175.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.39 R 518

$28.27 E£1,479

11.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.72 R 144

$6.70 E£350

30.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R 121

$4.40 E£230

66.14%

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

$307 R 5,063

$121 E£6,356

152.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,645 R 126.1K

$3,619 E£189.3K

111.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 R 873

$40.16 E£2,101

31.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.31 R 500

$49.61 E£2,596

-38.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 R 1,605

$115 E£6,033

-15.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.0 R 1,353

$60.6 E£3,170

35.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 R 7,707

$220 E£11.5K

112.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$396 R 6,536

$194 E£10.2K

104.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 R 13.8K

$514 E£26.9K

62.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 R 12.8K

$334 E£17.5K

132.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$879 R 14.5K

$806 E£42.2K

8.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$585 R 9,647

$513 E£26.9K

13.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,246 R 20.6K

$200 E£10.5K

522.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

16.21

-27.33%

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

Last update for Durban: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$396 34.6%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 51% $202

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$218 19.1%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 77.1% $168

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 16.9%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 26.9% $52

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.2%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 34.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$118 10.3%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 1.2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 19.4% $9

Getting Around

Durban

$32 2.8%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 64.9% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $467 in Durban versus $220 in Cairo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 522% higher in Durban, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Durban versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

04:46 4:46 AM

05:46 5:46 AM

1 h ahead of Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Durban Cairo 6,660 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 80%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,739 per month in Durban and $965 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Durban, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Durban and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Durban at $1,160. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Durban makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.