Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Midrand

For one person, living is cheaper in Midrand: $1,097 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $400 less a year. The total is higher in Durban despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Midrand
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Midrand Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Midrand

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Midrand

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $1,097 in Midrand, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Midrand $1,097

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $1,641 in Midrand, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Midrand $1,641

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $2,185 in Midrand, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Midrand $2,185

Durban costs about 3% more than Midrand, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Durban and Midrand are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Midrand 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$5.71 R 95.3

38.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 653

$30.15 R 503

29.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$3.12 R 52.1

97.12%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.60

$1.78 R 29.69

53.37%

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

$1.12 R 18.61

$1.23 R 20.49

-8.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.24

$0.92 R 15.38

-1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.55

$2.37 R 39.48

2.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.47

$2.39 R 39.95

3.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.55

$1.33 R 22.25

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.78

$1.19 R 19.94

-15.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 25.01

$1.31 R 21.82

14.50%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.57

$2.80 R 46.72

-13.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$9.06 R 151

-9.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.7

$5.55 R 92.7

-4.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 122

$9.05 R 151

-19.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.50

$2.02 R 33.73

-3.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.51

$1.09 R 18.14

78.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.40

$1.75 R 29.29

10.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.47

$1.49 R 24.88

10.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.86

$1.72 R 28.70

-9.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.36

$1.85 R 30.84

-21.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.45

$1.23 R 20.56

-4.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 19.00

$1.27 R 21.28

-10.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.8

$3.29 R 55.0

10.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 79.0

$5.42 R 90.4

-12.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.46

$0.94 R 15.70

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.62

$1.24 R 20.73

52.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.83

$1.50 R 25.12

19.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 356

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.80

$0.83 R 13.86

-50.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.61

$0.58 R 9.69

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$14.67 R 245

-47.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.88

$1.46 R 24.33

2.05%

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

$35.5K R 592.4K

$34.4K R 573.5K

3.31%

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

$32.3K R 539.5K

$30.3K R 505.0K

6.83%

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

$148 R 2,464

$108 R 1,801

36.80%

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

$35.49 R 592

$24.41 R 408

45.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 659

$37.64 R 628

4.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 518

$32.28 R 539

-3.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 144

$10.71 R 179

-19.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$8.73 R 146

-15.35%

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

$317 R 5,284

$183 R 3,059

72.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.8K

$5,471 R 91.3K

40.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 889

$59.3 R 989

-10.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 509

$45.72 R 763

-33.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,653

$84.3 R 1,407

17.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,419

$84.2 R 1,406

0.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,427

$492 R 8,219

-9.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,251

$441 R 7,354

-15.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

$834 R 13.9K

-2.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$758 R 12.7K

-1.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

$867 R 14.5K

-5.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,435

$694 R 11.6K

-18.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.4K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Midrand: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Midrand

$441 40.2% 17.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Midrand

$170 15.5% 23.6% $53

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Midrand

$202 18.4% 4% $7.8

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Midrand

$102 9.3% 27.4% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Midrand

$123 11.2% 2.1% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Midrand

$50 4.5% 8.6% $3.9

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Midrand

$9.8 * 0.9% 70.1% $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 $492 in Midrand. 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 $30 in Midrand. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Durban vs $202 in Midrand – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Midrand

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

87,387

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Durban Midrand 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Midrand

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 Midrand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Durban and $1,645 in Midrand. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $492 in Midrand.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban and $30 in Midrand. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Durban – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,130 in Durban and $1,097 in Midrand, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Durban has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,097 in Midrand to $1,130 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.