Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Paarl Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Paarl

🙂 Solo nomad: Durban is 5% cheaper than Paarl without rent, and 9.6% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Durban is 3.9% cheaper than Paarl without rent, and 11.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
Paarl
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.74 R 130
$10.95 R 183
-29.32%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.50 R 477
$45.28 R 758
-37.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.10 R 85.4
$4.84 R 81.0
5.37%
Cappuccino
$2.00 R 33.51
$1.98 R 33.22
1.01%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.91
$0.85 R 14.23
4.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 R 11.76
$0.80 R 13.41
-12.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.99 R 33.24
$2.23 R 37.30
-10.76%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R 36.52
$2.49 R 41.74
-12.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durban
Paarl
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 R 17.45
$1.11 R 18.56
-6.31%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 R 15.96
$0.94 R 15.66
1.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.55
$1.87 R 31.24
-21.39%
Eggs
$2.19 R 36.68
$1.89 R 31.57
15.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.41 R 124
$8.18 R 137
-9.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.40 R 73.7
$5.12 R 85.7
-14.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.33 R 106
$7.48 R 125
-15.37%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 R 26.23
$1.48 R 24.75
6.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 23.62
$1.39 R 23.34
1.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 R 22.21
$0.98 R 16.36
35.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.31 R 21.88
$1.38 R 23.03
-5.07%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 R 22.11
$0.77 R 12.88
71.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 R 19.60
$0.87 R 14.61
34.48%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.98 R 16.45
$1.05 R 17.65
-6.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.79
$0.85 R 14.21
10.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.16 R 52.8
$2.88 R 48.26
9.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.83 R 80.9
$5.15 R 86.2
-6.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 R 23.67
$1.17 R 19.62
20.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 28.11
$0.86 R 14.37
95.35%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
Paarl
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.51 R 25.24
$1.09 R 18.21
38.53%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.66 R 647
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.73 R 28.92
$1.37 R 22.92
26.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 R 10.27
$0.93 R 15.52
-34.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.82 R 114
$4.38 R 73.4
55.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 R 22.36
$1.25 R 20.87
7.20%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K R 332.4K
$20.9K R 349.5K
-4.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K R 404.6K
$16.7K R 278.8K
45.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
Paarl
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$142 R 2,385
$73.7 R 1,234
93.35%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.88 R 483
$33.22 R 556
-13.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.20 R 556
$41.62 R 697
-20.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durban
Paarl
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.47 R 577
$24.18 R 405
42.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.00 R 151
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.83 R 114
$6.07 R 102
12.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
Paarl
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$205 R 3,436
$195 R 3,265
5.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,585 R 76.8K
$4,281 R 71.7K
7.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durban
Paarl
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.86 R 717
$37.84 R 633
13.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.83 R 499
$28.26 R 473
5.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 R 1,552
$110 R 1,833
-15.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.7 R 1,233
$83.5 R 1,397
-11.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
Paarl
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$373 R 6,239
$694 R 11.6K
-46.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$366 R 6,123
$339 R 5,667
8.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$746 R 12.5K
$1,212 R 20.3K
-38.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$583 R 9,752
$838 R 14.0K
-30.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$958 R 16.0K
$910 R 15.2K
5.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$722 R 12.1K
$2,519 R 42.2K
-71.33%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durban
Paarl
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,292 R 21.6K
$1,064 R 17.8K
21.53%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.01
11.4
5.35%

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

Last update for Durban: March 1, 2026

Last update for Paarl: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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