Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Johannesburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Johannesburg

🙂 Solo nomad: Durban is 19.4% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Durban is 20.8% cheaper than Johannesburg without rent, and 17.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
Johannesburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.72 R 137
$11.16 R 198
-30.82%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.49 R 507
$44.05 R 783
-35.32%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.06 R 90.1
$5 R 88.9
1.20%
Cappuccino
$1.91 R 33.88
$2.15 R 38.26
-11.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 R 15.61
$0.98 R 17.44
-10.20%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 R 11.76
$0.75 R 13.4
-12.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.94 R 34.43
$2.65 R 47.09
-26.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 R 39.02
$2.58 R 45.8
-15.12%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durban
Johannesburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 R 18.44
$1.2 R 21.26
-13.33%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 R 15.89
$1.06 R 18.81
-16.04%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.19
$1.63 R 29.04
-12.88%
Eggs
$2.2 R 39.15
$2.56 R 45.58
-14.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.13 R 127
$8.43 R 150
-15.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.5 R 80
$4.84 R 86.1
-7.02%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.26 R 111
$6.66 R 118
-6.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.55 R 27.57
$1.69 R 30.1
-8.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.18
$1.48 R 26.3
-4.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.75
$1.48 R 26.28
-9.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.35 R 24.06
$1.59 R 28.25
-15.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.3 R 23.2
$1.45 R 25.73
-10.34%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 R 21.12
$1.4 R 24.86
-15.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 R 18.24
$1.08 R 19.25
-4.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.9 R 15.98
$0.89 R 15.84
1.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.02 R 53.8
$3.07 R 54.5
-1.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.75 R 84.5
$5.72 R 102
-16.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 R 26.05
$1.35 R 23.97
8.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.7 R 30.25
$1.67 R 29.68
1.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
Johannesburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.57 R 27.97
$1.66 R 29.57
-5.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.21 R 697
$70 R 1,245
-43.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.64 R 29.21
$1.09 R 19.46
50.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 R 10.22
$0.91 R 16.15
-37.36%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.55 R 116
$3.94 R 70.1
66.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 R 23.48
$1.22 R 21.61
8.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K R 364.2K
$22K R 391.7K
-7.03%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K R 440.5K
$23.8K R 423.4K
4.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
Johannesburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 R 2,558
$120 R 2,126
20.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.85 R 531
$41.18 R 732
-27.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.73 R 600
$43.43 R 772
-22.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durban
Johannesburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.74 R 618
$34.36 R 611
1.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.44 R 168
$13.55 R 241
-30.33%
Cinema Ticket
$6.66 R 118
$7.4 R 132
-10.00%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
Johannesburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 R 3,629
$210 R 3,732
-2.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,630 R 82.3K
$4,920 R 87.5K
-5.90%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durban
Johannesburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.26 R 752
$49.77 R 885
-15.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.66 R 528
$33.06 R 588
-10.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.2 R 1,710
$90 R 1,601
6.83%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.4 R 1,270
$77.8 R 1,383
-8.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
Johannesburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 R 6,737
$422 R 7,510
-10.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$361 R 6,412
$378 R 6,722
-4.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$739 R 13.1K
$931 R 16.6K
-20.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 R 10.5K
$700 R 12.5K
-15.31%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$893 R 15.9K
$1,102 R 19.6K
-19.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,091 R 19.4K
$750 R 13.3K
45.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durban
Johannesburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,200 R 21.3K
$1,563 R 27.8K
-23.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.01
11.51
4.34%

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

Last update for Durban: November 5, 2025

Last update for Johannesburg: November 5, 2025

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