Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,160 a month against $4,086 in London, rent and utilities included – about $35,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
196

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

London

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$4,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in London

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

A single person spends $1,160 per month in Durban vs $4,086 in London, rent included.

Durban $1,160
London $4,086

A couple spends around $1,785 per month in Durban vs $5,816 in London, rent included.

Durban $1,785
London $5,816

A family of three spends $2,411 per month in Durban vs $7,546 in London, rent included.

Durban $2,411
London $7,546

Durban is about 72% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Durban sits 13% below the global median, while London is 205% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.01 R 132

$26.62 £20.11

-69.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.89 R 642

$108 £81.3

-63.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 R 101

$10.39 £7.85

-41.00%

Cappuccino

$2.64 R 43.62

$5.79 £4.38

-54.40%

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

$1.13 R 18.67

$3.01 £2.27

-62.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.00

$2.15 £1.63

-57.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.26

$9.35 £7.06

-73.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 R 42.30

$7.84 £5.93

-67.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 20.01

$1.79 £1.35

-32.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 R 15.35

$2.06 £1.56

-54.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.58

$2.31 £1.74

-35.50%

Eggs

$2.35 R 38.78

$5.05 £3.82

-53.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.20 R 135

$12.57 £9.50

-34.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 R 87.2

$10.66 £8.05

-50.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 R 116

$17.13 £12.94

-58.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 R 32.49

$3.03 £2.29

-34.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.41 £1.07

38.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.39

$3.05 £2.31

-35.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.52

$3.38 £2.56

-50.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.27

$1.67 £1.26

-8.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.67

$1.73 £1.31

-17.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R 19.11

$1.41 £1.07

-17.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 R 19.86

$1.79 £1.35

-32.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 R 58.7

$23.22 £17.55

-84.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.68 R 77.2

$12.99 £9.82

-63.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.84

$3.18 £2.40

-56.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 R 31.49

$4.41 £3.33

-56.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.75 R 28.82

$3.87 £2.93

-54.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.37 R 353

$250 £189

-91.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.20

$5.71 £4.31

-92.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.72

$3.33 £2.51

-78.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.68 R 127

$57.9 £43.76

-86.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.35

$2.04 £1.54

-24.51%

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

$35.0K R 577.6K

$37.5K £28.4K

-6.76%

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

$31.1K R 512.5K

$40.9K £30.9K

-24.05%

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

$144 R 2,372

$376 £284

-61.78%

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

$35.56 R 587

$17.88 £13.51

98.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.72 R 639

$40.01 £30.24

-3.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.39 R 518

$61.2 £46.22

-48.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.72 R 144

$21.07 £15.93

-58.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R 121

$17.95 £13.57

-59.28%

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

$307 R 5,063

$2,865 £2,165

-89.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,645 R 126.1K

$35.3K £26.7K

-78.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.9 R 873

$116 £87.7

-54.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.31 R 500

$54.1 £40.87

-43.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 R 1,605

$127 £95.7

-23.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.0 R 1,353

$159 £120

-48.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$467 R 7,707

$2,853 £2,156

-83.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$396 R 6,536

$2,301 £1,739

-82.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 R 13.8K

$5,201 £3,931

-83.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 R 12.8K

$3,723 £2,813

-79.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$879 R 14.5K

$19.0K £14.4K

-95.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$585 R 9,647

$7,881 £5,955

-92.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,246 R 20.6K

$4,818 £3,641

-74.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

4.65

153.33%

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

Last update for Durban: October 5, 2026

Last update for London: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$396 34.6%

London

$2.3K 56.5% 481% $1.9K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$218 19.1%

London

$434 10.7% 99% $216

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 16.9%

London

$349 8.6% 80.7% $156

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.2%

London

$397 9.7% 184% $257

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$118 10.3%

London

$205 5% 73.7% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4%

London

$97 2.4% 111% $51

Getting Around

Durban

$32 2.8%

London

$288 7.1% 790% $256

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $467 in Durban versus $2,853 in London. 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 287% higher in London, 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 $108 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $349 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇬🇧 London

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

03:53 3:53 AM

1 h behind Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

8,908,083 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Durban London 9,550 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
London

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 London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – London is pricier by about 252%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,739 per month in Durban and $6,129 in London. 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 $1,160 in Durban and $4,086 in London. That's a gap of about 252%.

Public transport costs about 1070% 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 $1,160, than in London at $4,086. In Durban it covers expenses comfortably, while in London 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, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.