Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Polokwane

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $1,150 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Polokwane

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

A single person spends $1,150 per month in Durban vs $959 in Polokwane, rent included.

Durban $1,150
Polokwane $959

A couple spends around $1,777 per month in Durban vs $1,417 in Polokwane, rent included.

Durban $1,777
Polokwane $1,417

A family of three spends $2,404 per month in Durban vs $1,875 in Polokwane, rent included.

Durban $2,404
Polokwane $1,875

Durban costs about 20% more than Polokwane, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Durban and Polokwane are more affordable than the global median – Durban 15% lower, Polokwane 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.84 R 129

$12.24 R 202

-35.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.75 R 638

$29.66 R 489

30.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 R 96.7

$7.46 R 123

-21.31%

Cappuccino

$2.63 R 43.30

$2.38 R 39.26

10.50%

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

$1.08 R 17.85

$0.77 R 12.68

40.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.72

$0.88 R 14.47

1.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 38.99

$1.68 R 27.65

41.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 R 43.10

$1.88 R 30.95

39.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.33

$1.32 R 21.71

-6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 R 16.23

$1.08 R 17.82

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.71

$1.70 R 28.03

-11.76%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.58

$2.65 R 43.69

-11.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.10 R 133

$7.84 R 129

3.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 R 83.8

$4.59 R 75.6

10.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 R 123

$6.04 R 99.6

23.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.78

$2.01 R 33.19

-3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.36

$1.85 R 30.53

2.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.42

$1.81 R 29.80

5.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.09

$1.96 R 32.30

-16.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.61

$1.67 R 27.49

-10.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.11

$1.50 R 24.73

-6.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

$1.12 R 18.48

4.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.84

$0.82 R 13.46

39.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.0

$2.68 R 44.22

35.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.75 R 78.2

$4.87 R 80.2

-2.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.27

$1.15 R 18.88

22.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.45

$1.61 R 26.54

14.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 R 29.63

$0.92 R 15.22

95.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.77 R 359

$30.03 R 495

-27.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.60

$0.87 R 14.41

-54.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.47

$0.95 R 15.66

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.53 R 124

$14.36 R 237

-47.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.52

$1.43 R 23.52

8.39%

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

$35.0K R 577.2K

$26.1K R 430.1K

34.21%

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

$31.3K R 515.5K

$28.5K R 469.0K

9.91%

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

$148 R 2,435

$138 R 2,281

6.75%

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

$35.20 R 580

$38.10 R 628

-7.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.95 R 642

$32.99 R 544

18.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.79 R 524

$23.29 R 384

36.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.10 R 150

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 R 121

$8.00 R 132

-8.50%

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

$312 R 5,143

$179 R 2,946

74.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,555 R 124.5K

$1,452 R 23.9K

420.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R 905

$45.30 R 746

21.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 R 509

$37.73 R 622

-18.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,648

$80.6 R 1,328

24.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,389

$93.7 R 1,544

-10.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 R 7,621

$290 R 4,785

59.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,555

$203 R 3,338

96.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 R 13.5K

$420 R 6,922

94.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 R 13.0K

$284 R 4,683

177.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$878 R 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$580 R 9,557

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,271 R 20.9K

$1,343 R 22.1K

-5.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.91

7.97%

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

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$398 34.6%

Polokwane

$203 21.1% 49.1% $195

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$222 19.3%

Polokwane

$210 21.8% 5.6% $12

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 16.7%

Polokwane

$185 19.3% 3.8% $7.4

Eating Out

Durban

$137 11.9%

Polokwane

$168 17.5% 22.5% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$122 10.6%

Polokwane

$116 12.1% 4.7% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 15.3% $7.1

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Polokwane

$39 4.1% 18.7% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $463 in Durban versus $290 in Polokwane. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Polokwane, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Durban versus $30.00 in Polokwane. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $185 – making Polokwane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

628,999

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Durban Polokwane 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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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 Polokwane: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,726 per month in Durban and $1,439 in Polokwane. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Polokwane, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,150 in Durban and $959 in Polokwane. That's a gap of about 20%.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Polokwane. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polokwane, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Durban at $1,150. In Polokwane it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Polokwane – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Polokwane. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Durban makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.