Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Hillcrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,120 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
Learn more

Hillcrest Living Index

Jump to prices

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Hillcrest

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

A single person spends $1,120 per month in Durban vs $1,081 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Durban $1,120
Hillcrest $1,081

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Durban vs $1,686 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Durban $1,725
Hillcrest $1,686

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Durban vs $2,292 in Hillcrest, rent included.

Durban $2,330
Hillcrest $2,292

Durban costs about 4% more than Hillcrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Durban and Hillcrest are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Hillcrest 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.55 R 142

$7.87 R 131

8.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 R 611

$38.34 R 636

-4.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 R 100

$6.01 R 99.7

0.67%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 44.16

$2.71 R 45.03

-1.85%

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

$1.06 R 17.63

$1.14 R 18.91

-7.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.91

$0.90 R 14.88

-6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.37

$2.45 R 40.68

-0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.52

$2.50 R 41.51

-2.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.69

$1.18 R 19.50

0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 R 15.98

$0.98 R 16.31

-2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.50 R 24.86

-0.67%

Eggs

$2.26 R 37.42

$2.32 R 38.53

-2.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 R 134

$8.19 R 136

-1.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.9

$5.05 R 83.7

-0.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 R 125

$7.27 R 121

3.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 R 32.89

$1.29 R 21.46

53.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.21

$1.93 R 31.95

0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 32.04

$1.95 R 32.29

-1.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.05

$1.73 R 28.75

-5.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.83

$1.46 R 24.26

-1.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.67

$1.44 R 23.94

-4.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.07

$1.21 R 19.99

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.57

$1.14 R 18.92

3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.4

$3.71 R 61.5

-5.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 78.7

$4.80 R 79.6

-1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.52

$1.41 R 23.36

4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.20

$1.96 R 32.55

-1.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 R 29.37

$1.54 R 25.47

14.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.91 R 363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.66

$0.44 R 7.22

-9.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.80

$0.71 R 11.74

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 R 129

$7.70 R 128

0.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 25.09

$1.45 R 24.11

4.14%

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

$35.9K R 595.0K

$35.2K R 584.1K

1.86%

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

$33.4K R 554.2K

$33.1K R 548.4K

1.06%

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

$147 R 2,443

$153 R 2,539

-3.78%

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

$38.50 R 639

$35.61 R 591

8.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.93 R 629

$39.04 R 648

-2.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 R 502

$33.00 R 547

-8.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 R 149

$13.55 R 225

-33.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 R 120

$7.29 R 121

-0.41%

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

$309 R 5,131

$310 R 5,149

-0.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,433 R 123.3K

$7,429 R 123.3K

0.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 873

$51.6 R 856

1.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.16 R 451

$27.96 R 464

-2.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 R 1,589

$97.0 R 1,608

-1.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 R 1,358

$79.2 R 1,313

3.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 R 7,041

$377 R 6,248

12.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 R 6,084

$353 R 5,850

4.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 R 13.0K

$640 R 10.6K

22.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.0K

$732 R 12.1K

-1.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$836 R 13.9K

$764 R 12.7K

9.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,546

$575 R 9,536

0.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 R 21.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

11.78

-0.68%

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

Last update for Durban: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$367 32.8%

Hillcrest

$353 32.6% 3.8% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$224 20%

Hillcrest

$228 21.1% 1.8% $4

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 17.2%

Hillcrest

$189 17.5% 1.8% $3.4

Eating Out

Durban

$143 12.8%

Hillcrest

$139 12.9% 2.9% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$116 10.3%

Hillcrest

$115 10.6% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$45 4%

Hillcrest

$48 4.4% 6.3% $2.8

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9% 69.3% $23

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 $377 in Hillcrest. 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 $37 in Durban versus $38 in Hillcrest. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Durban vs $189 in Hillcrest – so Hillcrest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Durban Hillcrest 25 km

From you

Durban
Hillcrest

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 Hillcrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,680 per month in Durban and $1,622 in Hillcrest. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $424 in Durban.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban and $38 in Hillcrest. 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 $310 in Hillcrest. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,120 in Durban and $1,081 in Hillcrest, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Hillcrest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,081 in Hillcrest to $1,120 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.