Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Howick

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,081 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
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Howick Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Howick

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $1,081 in Howick, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Howick $1,081

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $1,676 in Howick, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Howick $1,676

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $2,271 in Howick, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Howick $2,271

Durban costs about 5% more than Howick, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Durban and Howick are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Howick 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$8.03 R 133

-1.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 650

$38.85 R 645

0.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$5.50 R 91.3

11.82%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.38

$2.66 R 44.23

2.63%

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

$1.12 R 18.52

$1.09 R 18.19

2.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.17

$0.92 R 15.32

-1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.35

$2.39 R 39.69

1.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.26

$2.52 R 41.80

-1.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.45

$1.21 R 20.08

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.70

$0.98 R 16.30

3.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.88

$1.56 R 25.92

-3.85%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.36

$2.34 R 38.88

3.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 136

$8.23 R 137

-0.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.3

$5.28 R 87.7

0.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$7.20 R 120

1.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.34

$1.99 R 33.03

-2.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.35

$1.88 R 31.24

3.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.24

$1.92 R 31.86

1.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.33

$1.70 R 28.22

-2.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.73

$1.49 R 24.76

4.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.24

$1.46 R 24.33

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.35

$1.21 R 20.17

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.90

$1.19 R 19.78

-4.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.5

$3.68 R 61.1

-1.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.6

$4.84 R 80.4

-2.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.35

$1.45 R 24.15

-2.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.47

$1.88 R 31.23

0.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.68

$1.54 R 25.52

16.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 354

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.76

$0.45 R 7.49

-8.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.55

$0.75 R 12.41

1.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 128

$7.56 R 126

2.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.75

$1.37 R 22.68

8.76%

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

$35.5K R 589.5K

$36.1K R 600.3K

-1.80%

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

$32.3K R 536.8K

$33.1K R 550.2K

-2.43%

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

$148 R 2,452

$150 R 2,491

-1.55%

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

$35.49 R 590

$15.25 R 253

132.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 655

$40.18 R 667

-1.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 515

$31.93 R 530

-2.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

$10.99 R 183

-21.66%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$7.09 R 118

4.23%

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

$317 R 5,257

$309 R 5,141

2.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.1K

$7,814 R 129.8K

-1.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 884

$54.1 R 899

-1.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 507

$30.61 R 508

-0.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,645

$98.5 R 1,636

0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,412

$84.3 R 1,400

0.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,390

$395 R 6,567

12.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,220

$366 R 6,078

2.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.5K

$735 R 12.2K

10.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$734 R 12.2K

1.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.6K

$868 R 14.4K

-5.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,389

$675 R 11.2K

-16.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Howick: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Howick

$366 33.9% 2.3% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Howick

$205 19% 7.7% $17

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Howick

$195 18% 0.4% $0.7

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Howick

$138 12.8% 1.5% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Howick

$120 11.1% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Howick

$46 4.3% 0.7% $0.3

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Howick

$10 * 1% 68.4% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $445 in Durban versus $395 in Howick. 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 in Durban versus $39 in Howick. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $195 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Howick

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

32,453

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Durban Howick 87 km

From you

Durban
Howick

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 Howick: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Durban and $1,621 in Howick. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Howick, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $445 in Durban.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,130 in Durban and $1,081 in Howick. That makes Howick about 4% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $317 per month in Durban and $309 in Howick. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,130 in Durban and $1,081 in Howick, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Durban has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,081 in Howick to $1,130 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.