Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Polokwane Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Polokwane

😐 Solo nomad: Durban is 4.9% more expensive than Polokwane without rent, and 28% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Durban is 0.9% cheaper than Polokwane without rent, and 17.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.74 R 128
$9.82 R 162
-21.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.50 R 470
$41.38 R 682
-31.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.10 R 84.1
$5.00 R 82.4
2.00%
Cappuccino
$2.00 R 32.99
$2.24 R 36.87
-10.71%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.68
$0.81 R 13.35
9.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.70 R 11.58
$0.81 R 13.36
-13.58%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.99 R 32.72
$1.73 R 28.44
15.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R 35.95
$1.98 R 32.65
10.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 R 17.18
$1.14 R 18.84
-8.77%
White Bread (500g)
$0.95 R 15.71
$0.95 R 15.60
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.17
$1.71 R 28.16
-14.04%
Eggs
$2.19 R 36.11
$2.44 R 40.22
-10.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.41 R 122
$7.07 R 117
4.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.40 R 72.6
$3.28 R 54.0
34.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.33 R 104
$5.47 R 90.2
15.72%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 R 25.82
$1.64 R 26.96
-4.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 23.25
$1.54 R 25.41
-8.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 R 21.87
$1.54 R 25.41
-13.64%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.31 R 21.54
$1.67 R 27.54
-21.56%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 R 21.76
$1.46 R 24.02
-9.59%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 R 19.30
$1.23 R 20.24
-4.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.98 R 16.20
$1.03 R 16.99
-4.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.54
$0.77 R 12.66
22.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.16 R 52.0
$2.73 R 45.02
15.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.83 R 79.6
$4.91 R 81.0
-1.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 R 23.30
$1.13 R 18.62
24.78%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 27.68
$1.26 R 20.71
33.33%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.51 R 24.85
$3.21 R 52.8
-52.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.66 R 637
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.73 R 28.47
$0.87 R 14.34
98.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 R 10.11
$0.95 R 15.61
-35.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.82 R 112
$4.13 R 68.1
65.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 R 22.01
$1.23 R 20.35
8.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K R 327.3K
$13.9K R 229.1K
42.87%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K R 398.3K
$22.2K R 366.5K
8.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$142 R 2,348
$120 R 1,982
18.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.88 R 476
$40.80 R 672
-29.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.20 R 547
$36.42 R 600
-8.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.47 R 568
$22.14 R 365
55.69%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.00 R 148
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.83 R 113
$7.48 R 123
-8.69%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$205 R 3,383
$169 R 2,782
21.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,585 R 75.6K
$1,350 R 22.2K
239.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.86 R 706
$33.06 R 545
29.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.83 R 492
$34.23 R 564
-12.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.7 R 1,528
$74.5 R 1,228
24.45%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.7 R 1,214
$79.6 R 1,311
-7.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$373 R 6,142
$256 R 4,217
45.66%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$366 R 6,028
$174 R 2,866
110.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$746 R 12.3K
$371 R 6,112
101.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$583 R 9,600
$277 R 4,565
110.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$958 R 15.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$722 R 11.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,292 R 21.3K
$1,565 R 25.8K
-17.40%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.01
11.51
4.34%

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

Last update for Durban: March 1, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: 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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