Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Mossel Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,094 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $430 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
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Mossel Bay Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Mossel Bay

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $1,094 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Mossel Bay $1,094

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $1,720 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Mossel Bay $1,720

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $2,346 in Mossel Bay, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Mossel Bay $2,346

Durban costs about 3% more than Mossel Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Durban and Mossel Bay are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Mossel Bay 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$14.39 R 239

-44.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 650

$48.69 R 809

-19.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$8.51 R 141

-27.73%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.37

$2.56 R 42.59

6.64%

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

$1.12 R 18.52

$1.39 R 23.08

-19.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.16

$0.95 R 15.72

-4.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.33

$2.45 R 40.62

-0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.25

$2.97 R 49.40

-16.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.44

$1.10 R 18.19

6.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.69

$1.07 R 17.84

-5.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.88

$2.68 R 44.51

-44.03%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.35

$3.14 R 52.1

-22.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 136

$9.54 R 158

-13.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.3

$5.28 R 87.7

0.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$7.90 R 131

-7.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.33

$1.94 R 32.17

0.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.34

$1.31 R 21.83

48.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.23

$1.78 R 29.58

8.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.32

$2.02 R 33.62

-18.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.72

$1.45 R 24.01

6.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.23

$1.70 R 28.17

-14.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.35

$1.21 R 20.13

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.90

$1.22 R 20.21

-6.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.5

$3.71 R 61.7

-1.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.6

$4.92 R 81.7

-3.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.34

$2.06 R 34.16

-31.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.46

$1.87 R 30.97

1.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.68

$1.37 R 22.70

30.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 354

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.76

$0.62 R 10.22

-33.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.55

$0.89 R 14.72

-14.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 128

$11.37 R 189

-32.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.75

$1.44 R 23.86

3.47%

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

$35.5K R 589.3K

$28.6K R 475.0K

24.06%

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

$32.3K R 536.7K

$27.1K R 449.4K

19.43%

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

$148 R 2,452

$109 R 1,804

35.88%

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

$35.49 R 589

$17.95 R 298

97.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 655

$42.87 R 712

-7.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 515

$21.03 R 349

47.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

$10.91 R 181

-21.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$7.18 R 119

2.92%

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

$317 R 5,256

$275 R 4,572

14.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.1K

$5,404 R 89.7K

42.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 884

$47.97 R 797

10.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 506

$21.02 R 349

45.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,645

$98.6 R 1,638

0.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,412

$66.6 R 1,105

27.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,388

$503 R 8,348

-11.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,218

$364 R 6,049

2.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.5K

$1,033 R 17.2K

-21.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$686 R 11.4K

8.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.6K

$597 R 9,910

37.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,386

$610 R 10.1K

-7.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.2K

$1,505 R 25.0K

-14.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

11.75

0.26%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mossel Bay: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Mossel Bay

$364 33.3% 2.7% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Mossel Bay

$169 15.5% 23.9% $53

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Mossel Bay

$210 19.2% 7.9% $15

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Mossel Bay

$199 18.2% 42.2% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Mossel Bay

$105 9.6% 12.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2% 22.7% $10

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1% 67.8% $22

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 $503 in Mossel Bay. 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 18% higher in Mossel Bay, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban versus $49 in Mossel Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $210 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🕒 Local time

08:59 8:59 AM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

60,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Durban Mossel Bay 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Mossel Bay

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 Mossel Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Durban and $1,640 in Mossel Bay. 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 $503 in Mossel Bay.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban and $49 in Mossel Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Durban – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,130 in Durban and $1,094 in Mossel Bay, 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 $1,094 in Mossel Bay to $1,130 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.