Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Jeffreys Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeffreys Bay: $1,035 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Durban, South Africa
Jeffreys Bay, South Africa
Durban
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,130
/mo nomad
Jeffreys Bay
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,035
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Jeffreys Bay

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $1,035 in Jeffreys Bay, rent included.

  • Durban $1,130
  • Jeffreys Bay $1,035

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $1,605 in Jeffreys Bay, rent included.

  • Durban $1,748
  • Jeffreys Bay $1,605

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $2,176 in Jeffreys Bay, rent included.

  • Durban $2,366
  • Jeffreys Bay $2,176

Durban costs about 9% more than Jeffreys Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Durban and Jeffreys Bay are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Jeffreys Bay 24% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
Jeffreys Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.93 R 132
$7.76 R 129
2.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.14 R 650
$27.32 R 454
43.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.15 R 102
$5.96 R 99.0
3.19%
Cappuccino
$2.73 R 45.37
$1.82 R 30.16
50.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 R 18.52
$0.78 R 12.89
43.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.91 R 15.16
$0.65 R 10.75
40.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.43 R 40.33
$2.02 R 33.58
20.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 R 41.25
$1.95 R 32.34
27.18%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durban
Jeffreys Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 R 19.44
$1.19 R 19.81
-1.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 R 16.69
$1.02 R 16.85
-0.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.88
$1.48 R 24.52
1.35%
Eggs
$2.43 R 40.35
$2.75 R 45.68
-11.64%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.22 R 136
$6.40 R 106
28.44%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.32 R 88.3
$4.86 R 80.7
9.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.28 R 121
$7.40 R 123
-1.62%
Apples (1kg)
$1.95 R 32.33
$2.01 R 33.40
-2.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 R 32.34
$1.50 R 24.99
30.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.94 R 32.23
$1.71 R 28.33
13.45%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 R 27.32
$1.73 R 28.70
-4.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.55 R 25.72
$1.74 R 28.93
-10.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.23
$1.24 R 20.63
17.74%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 R 19.35
$1.18 R 19.65
-0.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 18.90
$1.03 R 17.17
10.68%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.64 R 60.5
$3.17 R 52.7
14.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.73 R 78.6
$3.84 R 63.8
23.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 R 23.34
$1.24 R 20.51
13.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 R 31.46
$1.75 R 29.10
8.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
Jeffreys Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.79 R 29.68
$1.54 R 25.57
16.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$21.32 R 354
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.41 R 6.76
$0.64 R 10.55
-35.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.76 R 12.55
$0.51 R 8.48
49.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.72 R 128
$8.30 R 138
-6.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.49 R 24.75
$1.37 R 22.78
8.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K R 589.3K
$20.9K R 347.2K
69.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.3K R 536.7K
$17.6K R 291.6K
84.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
Jeffreys Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$148 R 2,452
$126 R 2,090
17.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$35.49 R 589
$34.35 R 570
3.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.45 R 655
$45.62 R 757
-13.52%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durban
Jeffreys Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.01 R 515
$31.92 R 530
-2.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.61 R 143
$6.03 R 100
42.79%
Cinema Ticket
$7.39 R 123
$3.13 R 51.9
136.10%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
Jeffreys Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$317 R 5,256
$138 R 2,300
128.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,714 R 128.1K
$6,108 R 101.4K
26.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durban
Jeffreys Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.2 R 884
$71.8 R 1,192
-25.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.50 R 506
$37.68 R 626
-19.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$99.1 R 1,645
$113 R 1,873
-12.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.0 R 1,412
$97.7 R 1,623
-13.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
Jeffreys Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$445 R 7,388
$390 R 6,473
14.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 R 6,218
$335 R 5,555
11.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$814 R 13.5K
$747 R 12.4K
8.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$744 R 12.4K
$705 R 11.7K
5.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$820 R 13.6K
$884 R 14.7K
-7.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$565 R 9,386
$696 R 11.6K
-18.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durban
Jeffreys Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,280 R 21.2K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.78
11.94
-1.34%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Jeffreys Bay: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Durban
$374
Jeffreys Bay
$335 10.7% $40
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
$223
Jeffreys Bay
$206 7.5% $17
Groceries & Markets
Durban
$194
Jeffreys Bay
$181 6.5% $13
Eating Out
Durban
$140
Jeffreys Bay
$122 13.2% $18
Clothing & Footwear
Durban
$121
Jeffreys Bay
$144 19.5% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Durban
$46
Jeffreys Bay
$38 16.7% $7.6
Getting Around
Durban
$33
Jeffreys Bay
$9.4 * 71.4% $23

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 $390 in Jeffreys Bay. 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 $27 in Jeffreys Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $181 – making Jeffreys Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Durban
🇿🇦 Jeffreys Bay
🕒 Local time
11:53 11:53 AM
11:53 11:53 AM
Same time as Durban
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,442,361
27,107
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Durban Jeffreys Bay 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Durban
  • Jeffreys Bay

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 Jeffreys Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jeffreys Bay cheaper than Durban?
Yes – Durban is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Durban and $1,552 in Jeffreys Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Jeffreys Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $445 in Durban.
Is eating out cheaper in Durban or in Jeffreys Bay?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban and $27 in Jeffreys Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Durban and in Jeffreys Bay?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Durban, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,500 enough for either Durban or Jeffreys Bay?
$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,130 in Durban and $1,035 in Jeffreys Bay, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Durban or Jeffreys Bay more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Jeffreys Bay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Durban vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?