Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Grahamstown

For one person, living costs are similar in Durban and in Grahamstown: $1,120 and $1,120 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Grahamstown
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Grahamstown Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Grahamstown

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Grahamstown

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

A single person spends $1,120 per month in Durban vs $1,120 in Grahamstown, rent included.

Durban $1,120
Grahamstown $1,120

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Durban vs $1,775 in Grahamstown, rent included.

Durban $1,725
Grahamstown $1,775

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Durban vs $2,430 in Grahamstown, rent included.

Durban $2,330
Grahamstown $2,430

Durban and Grahamstown have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Durban and Grahamstown are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Grahamstown 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.55 R 142

$10.93 R 181

-21.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 R 611

$41.85 R 694

-12.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 R 100

$6.04 R 100

0.17%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 44.16

$2.17 R 36.04

22.58%

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

$1.06 R 17.63

$1.05 R 17.38

0.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.91

$0.72 R 11.92

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.37

$2.75 R 45.59

-11.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.52

$3.10 R 51.4

-21.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.69

$1.17 R 19.46

1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 R 15.98

$1.00 R 16.60

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.49 R 24.64

Eggs

$2.26 R 37.42

$2.72 R 45.16

-16.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 R 134

$8.51 R 141

-4.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.9

$5.34 R 88.7

-6.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 R 125

$8.25 R 137

-8.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 R 32.89

$2.16 R 35.76

-8.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.21

$1.52 R 25.20

27.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 32.04

$1.63 R 27.06

18.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.05

$1.79 R 29.63

-8.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.83

$1.68 R 27.89

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.67

$1.37 R 22.80

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.07

$1.22 R 20.30

-0.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.57

$1.01 R 16.76

16.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.4

$3.26 R 54.0

7.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 78.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.52

$1.27 R 21.07

16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.20

$1.79 R 29.73

8.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 R 29.37

$1.49 R 24.73

18.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.91 R 363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.66

$0.85 R 14.12

-52.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.80

$0.46 R 7.64

54.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 R 129

$8.54 R 142

-9.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 25.09

$1.49 R 24.76

1.34%

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

$35.9K R 595.0K

$34.6K R 574.4K

3.59%

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

$33.4K R 554.2K

$35.2K R 584.7K

-5.22%

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

$147 R 2,443

$121 R 2,004

21.90%

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

$38.50 R 639

$34.27 R 569

12.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.93 R 629

$44.91 R 745

-15.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 R 502

$35.56 R 590

-14.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 R 149

$11.03 R 183

-18.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 R 120

$10.48 R 174

-30.73%

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

$309 R 5,131

$175 R 2,911

76.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,433 R 123.3K

$5,021 R 83.3K

48.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 873

$71.2 R 1,181

-26.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.16 R 451

$38.95 R 646

-30.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 R 1,589

$111 R 1,841

-13.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 R 1,358

$97.8 R 1,623

-16.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 R 7,041

$395 R 6,548

7.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 R 6,084

$357 R 5,918

2.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 R 13.0K

$742 R 12.3K

5.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.0K

$743 R 12.3K

-2.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$836 R 13.9K

$727 R 12.1K

14.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,546

$741 R 12.3K

-22.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 R 21.6K

$1,205 R 20.0K

8.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

11.94

-2.01%

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

Last update for Durban: November 2, 2026

Last update for Grahamstown: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$367 32.8%

Grahamstown

$357 31.9% 2.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$224 20%

Grahamstown

$200 17.9% 10.6% $24

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 17.2%

Grahamstown

$195 17.4% 1.3% $2.5

Eating Out

Durban

$143 12.8%

Grahamstown

$159 14.2% 10.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$116 10.3%

Grahamstown

$144 12.8% 23.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$45 4%

Grahamstown

$57 5.1% 26.3% $12

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Grahamstown

$9.1 * 0.8% 72.4% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in Durban versus $395 in Grahamstown. 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 8% higher in Durban. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban versus $42 in Grahamstown. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $195 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Grahamstown

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

67,264

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Durban Grahamstown 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Grahamstown

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 Grahamstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,680 per month in Durban and $1,679 in Grahamstown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $424 in Durban and $395 in Grahamstown. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban and $42 in Grahamstown. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $309 per month in Durban and $175 in Grahamstown. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,120 in Durban and $1,120 in Grahamstown. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Grahamstown – 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 Grahamstown. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Durban makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.