Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Grahamstown Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Grahamstown

🙂 Solo nomad: Durban is 3.3% cheaper than Grahamstown without rent, and 7.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Durban is 3.2% more expensive than Grahamstown without rent, and 5.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
Grahamstown
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.41 R 132
$8.79 R 156
-15.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.47 R 506
$33.48 R 595
-14.96%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 R 91.8
$4.98 R 88.5
3.61%
Cappuccino
$1.91 R 33.89
$2.12 R 37.76
-9.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 15.76
$1.02 R 18.22
-12.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 R 12.66
$0.82 R 14.62
-13.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.91 R 33.96
$2.29 R 40.71
-16.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 R 40.21
$2.51 R 44.58
-9.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durban
Grahamstown
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 R 18.52
$1.14 R 20.29
-8.77%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 R 17.52
$1.05 R 18.63
-5.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 R 25.37
$1.55 R 27.65
-7.74%
Eggs
$2.09 R 37.22
$2.38 R 42.4
-12.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.16 R 127
$7.49 R 133
-4.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.59 R 81.6
$4.48 R 79.7
2.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.44 R 115
$6.78 R 121
-5.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 R 27.97
$1.68 R 29.83
-6.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 R 25.37
$1.47 R 26.18
-2.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 R 24.55
$1.54 R 27.33
-10.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.35 R 24.05
$1.65 R 29.42
-18.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R 22.46
$1.37 R 24.42
-8.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 R 20.93
$1.23 R 21.84
-4.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 R 17.27
$1.05 R 18.76
-7.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 R 17.28
$0.92 R 16.31
5.43%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.12 R 55.4
$2.88 R 51.3
8.33%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.86 R 86.4
$4.7 R 83.6
3.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 R 25.95
$1.38 R 24.46
5.80%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 R 31.41
$1.7 R 30.16
4.12%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
Grahamstown
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 R 26.95
$1.67 R 29.71
-8.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.96 R 675
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.71 R 30.49
$1.1 R 19.6
55.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.63 R 11.19
$0.96 R 17.09
-34.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.64 R 118
$3.94 R 70.1
68.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 R 23.67
$1.22 R 21.77
9.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K R 353.8K
$21.1K R 375.2K
-5.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K R 427.9K
$23.8K R 423.1K
1.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
Grahamstown
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 R 2,570
$116 R 2,070
24.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.28 R 521
$34.92 R 621
-16.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.11 R 589
$41.03 R 730
-19.30%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durban
Grahamstown
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.25 R 609
$30.6 R 544
11.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.32 R 166
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.54 R 116
$6.61 R 118
-1.06%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
Grahamstown
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$205 R 3,650
$200 R 3,553
2.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,650 R 82.7K
$4,277 R 76.1K
8.72%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durban
Grahamstown
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.7 R 742
$50.5 R 898
-17.38%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.7 R 528
$32.66 R 581
-9.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.8 R 1,686
$88 R 1,564
7.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.3 R 1,286
$81.1 R 1,443
-10.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
Grahamstown
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 R 6,742
$360 R 6,395
5.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$364 R 6,471
$330 R 5,861
10.41%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$738 R 13.1K
$683 R 12.2K
7.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$585 R 10.4K
$692 R 12.3K
-15.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$881 R 15.7K
$732 R 13K
20.32%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,107 R 19.7K
$607 R 10.8K
82.39%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durban
Grahamstown
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,183 R 21K
$1,151 R 20.5K
2.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.01
11.51
4.34%

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

Last update for Durban: October 29, 2025

Last update for Grahamstown: October 28, 2025

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