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

😐 Solo nomad: Durban is 16.5% more expensive than Polokwane without rent, and 29.7% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Durban is 6.5% cheaper than Polokwane without rent, and 19.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.41 R 132
$9.72 R 173
-23.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.47 R 506
$41.89 R 745
-32.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 R 91.8
$4.89 R 86.9
5.52%
Cappuccino
$1.91 R 33.89
$2.25 R 40.08
-15.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 15.76
$0.85 R 15.2
4.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 R 12.66
$0.74 R 13.22
-4.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.91 R 33.96
$1.66 R 29.52
15.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 R 40.21
$1.98 R 35.14
14.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 R 18.52
$1.18 R 21
-11.86%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 R 17.52
$1 R 17.86
-1.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 R 25.37
$1.73 R 30.68
-17.34%
Eggs
$2.09 R 37.22
$2.44 R 43.43
-14.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.16 R 127
$6.83 R 121
4.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.59 R 81.6
$3.26 R 58
40.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.44 R 115
$5.56 R 99
15.83%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 R 27.97
$1.69 R 30.05
-7.10%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 R 25.37
$1.47 R 26.21
-2.72%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 R 24.55
$1.55 R 27.62
-10.97%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.35 R 24.05
$1.61 R 28.72
-16.15%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R 22.46
$1.49 R 26.44
-15.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 R 20.93
$1.18 R 21.04
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 R 17.27
$1.09 R 19.33
-11.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 R 17.28
$0.73 R 12.92
32.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.12 R 55.4
$2.73 R 48.59
14.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.86 R 86.4
$4.53 R 80.6
7.28%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 R 25.95
$1.08 R 19.22
35.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 R 31.41
$1.26 R 22.36
40.48%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 R 26.95
$3.18 R 56.5
-52.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.96 R 675
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.71 R 30.49
$0.86 R 15.24
98.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.63 R 11.19
$0.93 R 16.56
-32.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.64 R 118
$4 R 71.2
66.00%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 R 23.67
$1.21 R 21.49
9.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K R 353.8K
$14.2K R 251.9K
40.46%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K R 427.9K
$22.7K R 404.4K
5.81%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 R 2,570
$118 R 2,097
22.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.28 R 521
$40.52 R 721
-27.74%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.11 R 589
$37.68 R 670
-12.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.25 R 609
$21.81 R 388
57.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.32 R 166
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.54 R 116
$7.35 R 131
-11.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$205 R 3,650
$169 R 3,011
21.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,650 R 82.7K
$1,346 R 23.9K
245.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.7 R 742
$34.11 R 607
22.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.7 R 528
$33.05 R 588
-10.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.8 R 1,686
$74.8 R 1,330
26.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.3 R 1,286
$79 R 1,405
-8.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 R 6,742
$253 R 4,503
49.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$364 R 6,471
$176 R 3,126
106.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$738 R 13.1K
$373 R 6,639
97.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$585 R 10.4K
$281 R 5,000
108.05%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$881 R 15.7K
$780 R 13.9K
13.01%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,107 R 19.7K
$692 R 12.3K
59.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durban
Polokwane
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,183 R 21K
$1,476 R 26.2K
-19.83%
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: October 29, 2025

Last update for Polokwane: October 27, 2025

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