Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Pietermaritzburg Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Pietermaritzburg

🙂 Solo nomad: Durban is 14.6% cheaper than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 1.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Durban is 15.8% cheaper than Pietermaritzburg without rent, and 5.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.72 R 137
$7.97 R 142
-3.14%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.49 R 507
$42.05 R 748
-32.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.06 R 90.1
$5.52 R 98.2
-8.33%
Cappuccino
$1.91 R 33.88
$2.14 R 38.01
-10.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 R 15.61
$0.95 R 16.95
-7.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 R 11.76
$0.69 R 12.29
-4.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.94 R 34.43
$1.66 R 29.45
16.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 R 39.02
$2.31 R 41.07
-5.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durban
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 R 18.44
$1.03 R 18.31
0.97%
White Bread (500g)
$0.89 R 15.89
$0.88 R 15.57
1.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.19
$1.44 R 25.68
-1.39%
Eggs
$2.2 R 39.15
$2.34 R 41.64
-5.98%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.13 R 127
$7.18 R 128
-0.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.5 R 80
$4.72 R 84
-4.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.26 R 111
$7 R 124
-10.57%
Apples (1kg)
$1.55 R 27.57
$1.61 R 28.56
-3.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.18
$1.67 R 29.77
-14.97%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.75
$1.96 R 34.77
-31.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.35 R 24.06
$1.73 R 30.81
-21.97%
Potato (1kg)
$1.3 R 23.2
$1.54 R 27.34
-15.58%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 R 21.12
$1.76 R 31.25
-32.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 R 18.24
$1.25 R 22.16
-17.60%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.9 R 15.98
$0.93 R 16.5
-3.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.02 R 53.8
$2.83 R 50.3
6.71%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.75 R 84.5
$3.35 R 59.5
41.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 R 26.05
$1.4 R 24.87
4.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.7 R 30.25
$1.72 R 30.58
-1.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.57 R 27.97
$2.73 R 48.52
-42.49%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$39.21 R 697
$18.34 R 326
113.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.64 R 29.21
$1.7 R 30.27
-3.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 R 10.22
$0.57 R 10.06
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.55 R 116
$4.02 R 71.4
62.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 R 23.48
$1.25 R 22.28
5.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K R 364.2K
$24.1K R 428.8K
-15.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.8K R 440.5K
$23.1K R 411K
7.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$144 R 2,558
$235 R 4,176
-38.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.85 R 531
$29.81 R 530
0.13%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.73 R 600
$57.7 R 1,026
-41.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durban
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.74 R 618
$38.07 R 677
-8.75%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.44 R 168
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.66 R 118
$5.03 R 89.4
32.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 R 3,629
$146 R 2,605
39.30%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,630 R 82.3K
$4,795 R 85.3K
-3.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durban
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.26 R 752
$62 R 1,103
-31.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.66 R 528
$37.6 R 669
-21.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.2 R 1,710
$181 R 3,222
-46.92%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.4 R 1,270
$73.6 R 1,308
-2.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 R 6,737
$207 R 3,673
83.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$361 R 6,412
$189 R 3,368
90.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$739 R 13.1K
$522 R 9,285
41.48%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 R 10.5K
$383 R 6,816
54.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$893 R 15.9K
$722 R 12.8K
23.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,091 R 19.4K
$428 R 7,618
154.58%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durban
Pietermaritzburg
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,200 R 21.3K
$849 R 15.1K
41.38%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.01
11.5
4.43%

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

Last update for Durban: November 5, 2025

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: November 5, 2025

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