Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Kimberley

For one person, living costs are similar in Durban and in Kimberley: $1,166 and $1,138 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Kimberley
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Kimberley Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,166

/mo nomad

Kimberley

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,138

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Kimberley

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

A single person spends $1,166 per month in Durban vs $1,138 in Kimberley, rent included.

Durban $1,166
Kimberley $1,138

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Durban vs $1,907 in Kimberley, rent included.

Durban $1,788
Kimberley $1,907

A family of three spends $2,411 per month in Durban vs $2,676 in Kimberley, rent included.

Durban $2,411
Kimberley $2,676

Durban costs about 2% more than Kimberley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Durban and Kimberley are more affordable than the global median – Durban 14% lower, Kimberley 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.00 R 132

$12.12 R 200

-33.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.82 R 640

$36.35 R 599

6.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.14 R 101

$6.22 R 103

-1.29%

Cappuccino

$2.62 R 43.15

$2.99 R 49.32

-12.37%

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

$1.10 R 18.19

$1.29 R 21.17

-14.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 14.92

$1.30 R 21.49

-30.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 R 40.48

$2.79 R 45.92

-11.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 R 42.25

$2.67 R 44.00

-4.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.55

$1.55 R 25.50

-23.23%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 R 15.38

$1.16 R 19.03

-19.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.61

$2.94 R 48.49

-47.28%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.49

$2.91 R 48.01

-19.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R 140

$6.52 R 107

29.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 R 85.9

$5.89 R 97.0

-11.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 119

$8.33 R 137

-13.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.21

$2.35 R 38.64

-14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.10

$2.44 R 40.25

-22.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.79

$1.78 R 29.25

8.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.42

$3.34 R 55.0

-50.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.99

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.89

$1.41 R 23.18

2.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.23

$1.39 R 22.85

-15.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$0.90 R 14.76

27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.59 R 59.1

$3.28 R 54.0

9.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.99 R 82.3

$6.56 R 108

-23.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.37

$2.30 R 37.83

-35.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 31.93

$2.87 R 47.29

-32.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 R 30.60

$1.53 R 25.15

21.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.23 R 366

$33.18 R 547

-33.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 R 7.43

$0.58 R 9.55

-22.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R 12.23

$0.82 R 13.51

-9.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 R 129

$13.15 R 217

-40.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 R 25.80

$1.45 R 23.81

8.28%

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

$36.1K R 594.9K

$37.5K R 617.3K

-3.64%

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

$33.2K R 546.3K

$38.3K R 630.5K

-13.35%

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

$151 R 2,482

$108 R 1,772

40.06%

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

$36.50 R 601

$35.15 R 579

3.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.27 R 647

$42.40 R 699

-7.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.16 R 530

$22.40 R 369

43.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.90 R 147

$10.56 R 174

-15.72%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R 123

$7.16 R 118

4.75%

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

$315 R 5,184

$242 R 3,981

30.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,763 R 127.9K

$6,107 R 100.6K

27.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 R 895

$54.5 R 897

-0.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.58 R 504

$30.14 R 497

1.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 R 1,627

$101 R 1,669

-2.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,370

$90.8 R 1,495

-8.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 R 7,738

$263 R 4,329

78.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,666

$338 R 5,574

19.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 R 13.6K

$645 R 10.6K

27.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 R 12.9K

$928 R 15.3K

-15.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$906 R 14.9K

$806 R 13.3K

12.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 R 9,707

$619 R 10.2K

-4.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,296 R 21.3K

$949 R 15.6K

36.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.94

7.68%

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

Last update for Durban: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kimberley: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$405 34.7%

Kimberley

$338 29.7% 16.4% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$226 19.4%

Kimberley

$185 16.3% 18.2% $41

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 16.7%

Kimberley

$229 20.1% 17.6% $34

Eating Out

Durban

$139 12%

Kimberley

$181 15.9% 30.1% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$120 10.3%

Kimberley

$124 10.9% 3.7% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$47 4.1%

Kimberley

$37 3.2% 22.1% $10

Getting Around

Durban

$34 2.9%

Kimberley

$44 3.9% 30% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $470 in Durban versus $263 in Kimberley. 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 Durban, 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 $36.00 in Kimberley. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Durban vs $229 in Kimberley – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Kimberley

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

225,160

💱 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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Between locations

Durban Kimberley 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Kimberley

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 Kimberley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 2%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,749 per month in Durban and $1,708 in Kimberley. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kimberley, 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 $1,166 in Durban and $1,138 in Kimberley. That's a gap of about 2%.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Kimberley. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kimberley, where all-in costs run around $1,138, than in Durban at $1,166. In Kimberley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kimberley – 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 Kimberley. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Durban makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.