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

🙂 Solo nomad: Durban is 5.6% cheaper than East London without rent, and 4% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Durban is 12.1% more expensive than East London without rent, and 0.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
East London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.74 R 129
$6.74 R 112
14.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.50 R 474
$30.93 R 514
-7.86%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.10 R 84.8
$4.52 R 75.2
12.83%
Cappuccino
$2.00 R 33.27
$2.06 R 34.23
-2.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.80
$0.96 R 15.93
-7.29%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 R 11.68
$0.82 R 13.63
-14.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.99 R 33.00
$2.48 R 41.18
-19.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R 36.26
$3.06 R 50.9
-28.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durban
East London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 R 17.33
$1.07 R 17.77
-2.80%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 R 15.85
$0.86 R 14.25
10.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.38
$1.97 R 32.73
-25.38%
Eggs
$2.19 R 36.42
$2.10 R 34.91
4.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.41 R 123
$9.14 R 152
-18.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.40 R 73.2
$4.22 R 70.1
4.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.33 R 105
$7.72 R 128
-18.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 R 26.04
$1.53 R 25.40
2.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 23.45
$2.09 R 34.70
-32.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 R 22.05
$1.37 R 22.83
-2.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.31 R 21.72
$1.47 R 24.46
-10.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 R 21.95
$1.56 R 25.93
-15.38%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 R 19.46
$1.45 R 24.06
-19.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.98 R 16.33
$1.11 R 18.44
-11.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.67
$0.90 R 15.01
4.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.16 R 52.5
$2.63 R 43.65
20.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.83 R 80.3
$4.99 R 82.9
-3.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 R 23.50
$1.77 R 29.35
-20.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 27.91
$2.54 R 42.20
-33.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
East London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.51 R 25.06
$0.67 R 11.17
125.37%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.66 R 642
$21.54 R 358
79.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.73 R 28.71
$1.10 R 18.22
57.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 R 10.20
$0.94 R 15.65
-35.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.82 R 113
$4.06 R 67.4
67.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 R 22.20
$1.23 R 20.46
8.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K R 330.1K
$36.4K R 605.2K
-45.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K R 401.7K
$22.2K R 368.3K
9.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
East London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$142 R 2,368
$202 R 3,361
-29.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.88 R 480
$30.84 R 513
-6.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.20 R 552
$44.87 R 746
-26.01%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durban
East London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.47 R 573
$33.92 R 564
1.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.00 R 150
$1.38 R 22.92
552.17%
Cinema Ticket
$6.83 R 113
$3.66 R 60.8
86.61%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
East London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$205 R 3,412
$120 R 1,997
70.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,585 R 76.2K
$4,228 R 70.3K
8.46%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durban
East London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.86 R 712
$53.5 R 888
-19.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.83 R 496
$28.36 R 471
5.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 R 1,541
$105 R 1,745
-11.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.7 R 1,224
$85.5 R 1,421
-13.88%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
East London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$373 R 6,195
$264 R 4,383
41.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$366 R 6,079
$296 R 4,926
23.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$746 R 12.4K
$496 R 8,244
50.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$583 R 9,682
$545 R 9,065
6.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$958 R 15.9K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$722 R 12.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durban
East London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,292 R 21.5K
$1,665 R 27.7K
-22.39%
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: March 1, 2026

Last update for East London: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities