Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Newcastle, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $1,020 a month against $1,120 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Newcastle

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

A single person spends $1,120 per month in Durban vs $1,020 in Newcastle, rent included.

Durban $1,120
Newcastle $1,020

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Durban vs $1,627 in Newcastle, rent included.

Durban $1,725
Newcastle $1,627

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Durban vs $2,235 in Newcastle, rent included.

Durban $2,330
Newcastle $2,235

Durban costs about 10% more than Newcastle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Durban and Newcastle are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Newcastle 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.55 R 141

$9.14 R 150

-6.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 R 605

$36.28 R 597

1.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 R 99.6

$5.33 R 87.7

13.51%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 43.78

$2.28 R 37.49

16.67%

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

$1.06 R 17.49

$1.03 R 16.87

2.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.80

$0.81 R 13.28

3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.03

$2.36 R 38.83

2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.18

$3.38 R 55.5

-27.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.53

$1.19 R 19.56

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 R 15.84

$1.10 R 18.08

-12.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.55

$1.34 R 21.97

11.19%

Eggs

$2.26 R 37.11

$1.83 R 30.16

23.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$6.79 R 112

19.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.2

$4.97 R 81.8

0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 R 124

$7.43 R 122

1.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 R 32.62

$0.84 R 13.89

135.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 31.94

$1.03 R 16.87

88.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.77

$0.93 R 15.28

107.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.82

$1.37 R 22.61

18.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.63

$0.96 R 15.73

50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.48

$1.23 R 20.29

11.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.90

$0.77 R 12.65

57.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.40

$0.61 R 10.04

93.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 57.9

$3.22 R 53.0

9.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 78.0

$2.93 R 48.14

61.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.32

$1.37 R 22.56

8.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 31.92

$0.88 R 14.42

120.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.59 R 26.16

11.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.91 R 360

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.60

$0.31 R 5.18

29.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.70

$0.76 R 12.57

-6.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 R 128

$14.48 R 238

-46.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 24.88

$1.53 R 25.23

-1.31%

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

$35.9K R 590.0K

$35.8K R 589.4K

0.11%

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

$33.4K R 549.5K

$34.1K R 561.5K

-2.14%

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

$147 R 2,422

$154 R 2,534

-4.40%

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

$38.50 R 633

$37.56 R 618

2.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.93 R 624

$36.63 R 603

3.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 R 498

$32.65 R 537

-7.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 R 148

$10.38 R 171

-13.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 R 119

$7.29 R 120

-0.41%

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

$309 R 5,087

$265 R 4,364

16.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,433 R 122.3K

$6,178 R 101.6K

20.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 865

$52.7 R 867

-0.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.16 R 447

$32.02 R 527

-15.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 R 1,575

$91.7 R 1,509

4.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 R 1,346

$82.1 R 1,351

-0.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 R 6,981

$434 R 7,135

-2.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 R 6,033

$321 R 5,274

14.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 R 12.9K

$759 R 12.5K

3.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 11.9K

$751 R 12.4K

-3.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$836 R 13.7K

$676 R 11.1K

23.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,465

$704 R 11.6K

-18.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 R 21.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

11.34

3.17%

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

Last update for Durban: November 2, 2026

Last update for Newcastle: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$367 32.8%

Newcastle

$321 31.5% 12.6% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$224 20%

Newcastle

$228 22.4% 2% $4.6

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 17.2%

Newcastle

$154 15.1% 19.9% $38

Eating Out

Durban

$143 12.8%

Newcastle

$142 14% 0.5% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$116 10.3%

Newcastle

$116 11.4% 0.5% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$45 4%

Newcastle

$47 4.6% 5.5% $2.5

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Newcastle

$11 * 1% 68.1% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in Durban versus $434 in Newcastle. 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 $37 in Durban versus $36 in Newcastle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $154 – making Newcastle the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🕒 Local time

22:02 10:02 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

363,236

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Durban Newcastle 260 km

From you

Durban
Newcastle

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 Newcastle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,680 per month in Durban and $1,529 in Newcastle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $424 in Durban and $434 in Newcastle. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban and $36 in Newcastle. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Durban, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,120 in Durban and $1,020 in Newcastle, 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 $1,020 in Newcastle to $1,120 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.