Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and East London Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and East London

🙂 Solo nomad: Durban is 15.2% cheaper than East London without rent, and 1.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Durban is 7% cheaper than East London without rent, and 4.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
East London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.41 R 132
$6.56 R 117
12.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.47 R 506
$30.8 R 548
-7.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 R 91.8
$4.5 R 80
14.67%
Cappuccino
$1.91 R 33.89
$2.09 R 37.23
-8.61%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 15.76
$0.99 R 17.61
-10.10%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 R 12.66
$0.87 R 15.48
-18.39%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.91 R 33.96
$2.47 R 43.85
-22.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 R 40.21
$3.13 R 55.6
-27.80%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durban
East London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 R 18.52
$1.02 R 18.15
1.96%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 R 17.52
$0.84 R 14.99
17.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 R 25.37
$1.97 R 34.98
-27.41%
Eggs
$2.09 R 37.22
$2.03 R 36.09
2.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.16 R 127
$9.3 R 165
-23.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.59 R 81.6
$4.25 R 75.5
8.00%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.44 R 115
$7.68 R 137
-16.15%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 R 27.97
$1.58 R 28.14
-0.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 R 25.37
$2.14 R 38.02
-33.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 R 24.55
$1.43 R 25.34
-3.50%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.35 R 24.05
$1.42 R 25.19
-4.93%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R 22.46
$1.57 R 27.95
-19.75%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 R 20.93
$1.45 R 25.75
-18.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 R 17.27
$1.05 R 18.74
-7.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 R 17.28
$0.85 R 15.18
14.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.12 R 55.4
$2.71 R 48.17
15.13%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.86 R 86.4
$4.76 R 84.7
2.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 R 25.95
$1.7 R 30.22
-14.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 R 31.41
$2.54 R 45.18
-30.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
East London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 R 26.95
$0.72 R 12.72
111.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.96 R 675
$21.64 R 385
75.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.71 R 30.49
$1.09 R 19.44
56.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.63 R 11.19
$0.89 R 15.81
-29.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.64 R 118
$4.09 R 72.8
62.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 R 23.67
$1.28 R 22.77
3.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K R 353.8K
$36K R 639.6K
-44.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K R 427.9K
$22.4K R 398.9K
7.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
East London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 R 2,570
$195 R 3,471
-25.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.28 R 521
$30.85 R 549
-5.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.11 R 589
$45.24 R 805
-26.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durban
East London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.25 R 609
$33.17 R 590
3.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.32 R 166
$1.43 R 25.4
551.75%
Cinema Ticket
$6.54 R 116
$3.54 R 63.1
84.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
East London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$205 R 3,650
$117 R 2,087
74.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,650 R 82.7K
$4,277 R 76.1K
8.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durban
East London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.7 R 742
$52.6 R 935
-20.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.7 R 528
$28.65 R 509
3.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.8 R 1,686
$106 R 1,886
-10.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.3 R 1,286
$87.4 R 1,555
-17.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
East London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 R 6,742
$268 R 4,759
41.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$364 R 6,471
$290 R 5,156
25.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$738 R 13.1K
$494 R 8,789
49.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$585 R 10.4K
$557 R 9,903
5.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$881 R 15.7K
$802 R 14.3K
9.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,107 R 19.7K
$619 R 11K
78.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durban
East London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,183 R 21K
$1,597 R 28.4K
-25.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.01
11
9.18%

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

Last update for Durban: October 29, 2025

Last update for East London: October 28, 2025

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