Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Hermanus

For one person, living costs are similar in Durban and in Hermanus: $1,150 and $1,118 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Hermanus
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Hermanus Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Hermanus

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,118

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Hermanus

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

A single person spends $1,150 per month in Durban vs $1,118 in Hermanus, rent included.

Durban $1,150
Hermanus $1,118

A couple spends around $1,777 per month in Durban vs $1,727 in Hermanus, rent included.

Durban $1,777
Hermanus $1,727

A family of three spends $2,404 per month in Durban vs $2,336 in Hermanus, rent included.

Durban $2,404
Hermanus $2,336

Durban costs about 3% more than Hermanus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Durban and Hermanus are more affordable than the global median – Durban 15% lower, Hermanus 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.84 R 129

$13.13 R 216

-40.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.75 R 638

$34.89 R 575

11.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 R 96.7

$5.59 R 92.1

5.01%

Cappuccino

$2.63 R 43.30

$2.30 R 37.84

14.35%

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

$1.08 R 17.85

$1.08 R 17.76

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.72

$0.87 R 14.27

2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 38.99

$2.23 R 36.66

6.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 R 43.10

$2.77 R 45.61

-5.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.33

$1.19 R 19.66

3.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 R 16.23

$1.12 R 18.47

-11.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.71

$1.77 R 29.18

-15.25%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.58

$2.44 R 40.15

-4.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.10 R 133

$8.34 R 137

-2.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 R 83.8

$4.98 R 82.0

2.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 R 123

$7.04 R 116

6.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.78

$1.76 R 29.07

9.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.36

$1.68 R 27.62

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.42

$1.79 R 29.42

6.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.09

$1.71 R 28.10

-4.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.61

$1.47 R 24.14

1.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.11

$1.43 R 23.63

-2.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

$1.20 R 19.78

-2.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.84

$1.17 R 19.28

-2.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.0

$3.34 R 55.1

8.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.75 R 78.2

$7.06 R 116

-32.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.27

$1.45 R 23.81

-2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.45

$1.95 R 32.12

-5.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 R 29.63

$1.48 R 24.34

21.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.77 R 359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.60

$0.62 R 10.25

-35.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.47

$0.88 R 14.46

-13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.53 R 124

$11.54 R 190

-34.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.52

$1.46 R 24.02

6.16%

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

$35.0K R 577.2K

$36.0K R 593.0K

-2.67%

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

$31.3K R 515.5K

$31.8K R 524.6K

-1.74%

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

$148 R 2,435

$145 R 2,395

1.66%

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

$35.20 R 580

$35.60 R 587

-1.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.95 R 642

$39.60 R 652

-1.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.79 R 524

$21.12 R 348

50.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.10 R 150

$13.86 R 228

-34.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 R 121

$6.19 R 102

18.26%

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

$312 R 5,143

$245 R 4,032

27.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,555 R 124.5K

$5,463 R 90.0K

38.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R 905

$52.2 R 860

5.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 R 509

$32.45 R 535

-4.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,648

$101 R 1,658

-0.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,389

$86.9 R 1,431

-2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 R 7,621

$396 R 6,524

16.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,555

$359 R 5,923

10.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 R 13.5K

$716 R 11.8K

14.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 R 13.0K

$717 R 11.8K

10.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$878 R 14.5K

$888 R 14.6K

-1.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$580 R 9,557

$659 R 10.9K

-12.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,271 R 20.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.94

7.68%

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

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hermanus: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$398 34.6%

Hermanus

$359 32.2% 9.6% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$222 19.3%

Hermanus

$221 19.7% 0.6% $1.4

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 16.7%

Hermanus

$197 17.6% 2.2% $4.3

Eating Out

Durban

$137 11.9%

Hermanus

$174 15.6% 27% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$122 10.6%

Hermanus

$122 11% 0.7% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4%

Hermanus

$34 3% 27.8% $13

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Hermanus

$11 * 1% 67.1% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $463 in Durban versus $396 in Hermanus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Durban versus $35.00 in Hermanus. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Durban vs $197 in Hermanus – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Hermanus

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

56,139

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Durban Hermanus 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Hermanus

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 Hermanus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,726 per month in Durban and $1,677 in Hermanus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hermanus, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Durban and $35.00 in Hermanus. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Durban – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hermanus, where all-in costs run around $1,118, than in Durban at $1,150. In Hermanus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Hermanus – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Hermanus. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Durban makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.