Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Centurion

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,367 in Centurion, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. The total is higher in Centurion despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,367

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Centurion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,130 in Durban versus $1,367 in Centurion.

Durban $1,130
Centurion $1,367

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,748 in Durban versus $2,206 in Centurion.

Durban $1,748
Centurion $2,206

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,366 in Durban versus $3,045 in Centurion.

Durban $2,366
Centurion $3,045

Living in Durban costs roughly 17% less than in Centurion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$21.75 R 361

-63.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 650

$40.00 R 664

-2.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$5.75 R 95.5

6.96%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.38

$2.67 R 44.30

2.25%

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

$1.12 R 18.52

$0.97 R 16.05

15.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.17

$0.87 R 14.41

4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.35

$2.04 R 33.90

19.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.26

$2.42 R 40.14

2.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.45

$1.17 R 19.35

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.70

$1.21 R 20.13

-16.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.88

$2.11 R 35.07

-28.91%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.36

$2.93 R 48.73

-17.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 136

$10.09 R 168

-18.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.3

$6.63 R 110

-19.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$7.26 R 121

0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.34

$1.86 R 30.91

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.35

$1.86 R 30.93

4.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.24

$2.14 R 35.49

-9.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.33

$2.05 R 34.08

-19.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.73

$1.59 R 26.34

-2.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.24

$1.78 R 29.58

-17.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.35

$1.36 R 22.52

-13.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.90

$1.39 R 23.06

-17.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.5

$3.70 R 61.4

-1.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.6

$5.94 R 98.7

-20.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.35

$1.58 R 26.26

-10.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.47

$2.09 R 34.68

-9.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.68

$2.36 R 39.18

-24.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 354

$97.4 R 1,617

-78.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.76

$1.22 R 20.30

-66.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.55

$1.18 R 19.61

-35.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 128

$9.04 R 150

-14.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.75

$1.44 R 23.93

3.47%

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

$35.5K R 589.5K

$35.7K R 593.0K

-0.59%

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

$32.3K R 536.8K

$32.9K R 545.8K

-1.64%

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

$148 R 2,452

$136 R 2,263

8.38%

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

$35.49 R 590

$29.89 R 497

18.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 655

$40.20 R 668

-1.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 515

$43.78 R 727

-29.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$10.59 R 176

-30.22%

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

$317 R 5,257

$315 R 5,226

0.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.1K

$4,416 R 73.4K

74.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 884

$58.5 R 972

-8.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 507

$43.25 R 718

-29.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,645

$117 R 1,944

-15.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,412

$102 R 1,696

-16.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,390

$335 R 5,571

32.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,220

$369 R 6,124

1.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.5K

$581 R 9,643

40.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$891 R 14.8K

-16.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.6K

$527 R 8,757

55.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,389

$605 R 10.0K

-6.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

$2,364 R 39.3K

-45.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.5

12.19%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Centurion: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Centurion

$369 27% 1.5% $5.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Centurion

$206 15.1% 7.3% $16

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Centurion

$223 16.3% 14.8% $29

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Centurion

$246 18% 75.5% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Centurion

$144 10.6% 19.8% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Centurion

$65 4.8% 41.8% $19

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Centurion

$114 8.3% 249% $81

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $445 in Durban and $335 in Centurion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 85% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $39 in Durban vs $40 in Centurion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $223 per month, with Durban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Centurion

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

236,580

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Durban Centurion 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Centurion

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 Centurion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Durban wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Centurion. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Durban the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 46% 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 $335 in Centurion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Durban runs roughly 78% less than in Centurion. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $317 in Durban versus $315 in Centurion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

It comes down to priorities – Durban wins on affordability, Centurion on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.