Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,150 a month against $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Johannesburg

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

A single person spends $1,150 per month in Durban vs $1,430 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Durban $1,150
Johannesburg $1,430

A couple spends around $1,777 per month in Durban vs $2,195 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Durban $1,777
Johannesburg $2,195

A family of three spends $2,404 per month in Durban vs $2,960 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Durban $2,404
Johannesburg $2,960

Durban is about 20% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Durban sits 15% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.84 R 129

$11.98 R 197

-34.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.75 R 638

$43.02 R 709

-9.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 R 96.7

$7.12 R 117

-17.56%

Cappuccino

$2.63 R 43.30

$2.41 R 39.72

9.13%

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

$1.08 R 17.85

$1.17 R 19.21

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.72

$0.93 R 15.30

-4.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 38.99

$2.25 R 37.03

5.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 R 43.10

$2.76 R 45.49

-5.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.33

$1.31 R 21.59

-6.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 R 16.23

$1.28 R 21.12

-22.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.71

$1.72 R 28.37

-12.79%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.58

$2.63 R 43.34

-11.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.10 R 133

$8.47 R 140

-4.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 R 83.8

$5.47 R 90.0

-6.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 R 123

$8.80 R 145

-15.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.78

$2.12 R 34.89

-8.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.36

$1.79 R 29.45

6.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.42

$1.85 R 30.47

3.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.09

$2.12 R 34.99

-22.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.61

$1.74 R 28.61

-14.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.11

$1.83 R 30.09

-23.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

$1.43 R 23.53

-18.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.84

$1.33 R 21.99

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.0

$3.30 R 54.3

10.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.75 R 78.2

$5.91 R 97.3

-19.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.27

$1.81 R 29.89

-22.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.45

$2.49 R 40.95

-25.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 R 29.63

$2.01 R 33.11

-10.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.77 R 359

$89.9 R 1,481

-75.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.60

$0.83 R 13.62

-51.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.47

$0.89 R 14.70

-14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.53 R 124

$14.42 R 238

-47.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.52

$1.49 R 24.51

4.03%

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

$35.0K R 577.2K

$35.2K R 579.4K

-0.37%

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

$31.3K R 515.5K

$32.5K R 534.9K

-3.63%

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

$148 R 2,435

$233 R 3,841

-36.60%

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

$35.20 R 580

$37.52 R 618

-6.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.95 R 642

$36.32 R 598

7.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.79 R 524

$36.44 R 600

-12.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.10 R 150

$17.23 R 284

-47.19%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 R 121

$7.66 R 126

-4.44%

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

$312 R 5,143

$246 R 4,048

27.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,555 R 124.5K

$5,533 R 91.2K

36.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R 905

$58.4 R 963

-5.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 R 509

$45.21 R 745

-31.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,648

$110 R 1,817

-9.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,389

$105 R 1,734

-19.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 R 7,621

$493 R 8,127

-6.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,555

$435 R 7,160

-8.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 R 13.5K

$985 R 16.2K

-17.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 R 13.0K

$896 R 14.8K

-11.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$878 R 14.5K

$967 R 15.9K

-9.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$580 R 9,557

$746 R 12.3K

-22.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,271 R 20.9K

$1,738 R 28.6K

-26.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.91

7.97%

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

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$398 34.6%

Johannesburg

$435 30.4% 9.2% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$222 19.3%

Johannesburg

$307 21.5% 38.3% $85

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 16.7%

Johannesburg

$218 15.3% 13.3% $26

Eating Out

Durban

$137 11.9%

Johannesburg

$171 12% 25.2% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$122 10.6%

Johannesburg

$144 10.1% 18.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4%

Johannesburg

$52 3.6% 11.5% $5.3

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Johannesburg

$103 7.2% 211% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $463 in Durban versus $493 in Johannesburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 37% higher in Johannesburg, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Durban versus $43.00 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $218 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

4,434,827

💱 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

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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 Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Johannesburg is pricier by about 24%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,726 per month in Durban and $2,145 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,150 in Durban and $1,430 in Johannesburg. That's a gap of about 24%.

Public transport costs about 313% less in Durban. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Durban, where all-in costs run around $1,150, than in Johannesburg at $1,430. In Durban it covers expenses comfortably, while in Johannesburg it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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