Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Port Shepstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $1,007 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Port Shepstone
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Port Shepstone Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,007

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Port Shepstone

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $1,007 in Port Shepstone, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Port Shepstone $1,007

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $1,582 in Port Shepstone, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Port Shepstone $1,582

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $2,156 in Port Shepstone, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Port Shepstone $2,156

Durban costs about 12% more than Port Shepstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Durban and Port Shepstone are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Port Shepstone 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$8.04 R 134

-1.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 652

$39.88 R 665

-1.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$5.95 R 99.2

3.36%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.52

$2.64 R 44.00

3.41%

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

$1.12 R 18.58

$1.14 R 19.00

-1.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.21

$0.86 R 14.32

5.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.47

$2.49 R 41.51

-2.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.39

$2.64 R 44.03

-6.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.51

$0.95 R 15.80

23.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.75

$0.71 R 11.76

42.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.96

$1.24 R 20.70

20.97%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.49

$1.48 R 24.60

64.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$7.20 R 120

14.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.6

$3.69 R 61.4

44.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$7.49 R 125

-2.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.44

$1.24 R 20.64

57.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$0.75 R 12.49

160.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.34

$0.62 R 10.34

212.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.42

$1.51 R 25.10

9.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.81

$0.60 R 9.92

158.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.32

$1.40 R 23.32

4.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.41

$0.88 R 14.73

32.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.96

$0.63 R 10.50

80.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.7

$3.70 R 61.6

-1.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.9

$4.88 R 81.4

-3.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.42

$1.46 R 24.33

-3.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.57

$1.92 R 32.01

-1.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.78

$1.54 R 25.69

16.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$0.45 R 7.52

-8.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.59

$0.75 R 12.54

1.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$7.76 R 129

-0.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.83

$1.36 R 22.62

9.56%

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

$35.5K R 591.3K

$36.2K R 602.5K

-1.86%

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

$32.3K R 538.5K

$33.3K R 554.1K

-2.81%

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

$148 R 2,460

$123 R 2,046

20.23%

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

$35.49 R 591

$18.50 R 308

91.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 657

$36.99 R 616

6.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 517

$31.96 R 533

-2.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

$11.10 R 185

-22.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$7.29 R 121

1.37%

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

$317 R 5,274

$315 R 5,249

0.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.5K

$7,688 R 128.1K

0.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 887

$53.6 R 893

-0.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 508

$30.74 R 512

-0.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,650

$100 R 1,674

-1.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,417

$86.4 R 1,440

-1.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,414

$397 R 6,621

11.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,240

$363 R 6,053

3.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

$745 R 12.4K

9.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$743 R 12.4K

0.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

$886 R 14.8K

-7.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,418

$678 R 11.3K

-16.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

$3,014 R 50.2K

-57.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Port Shepstone

$363 36.1% 3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Port Shepstone

$178 17.7% 19.9% $44

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Port Shepstone

$147 14.6% 24.2% $47

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Port Shepstone

$140 13.9% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Port Shepstone

$122 12.1% 1.3% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Port Shepstone

$47 4.6% 1.6% $0.7

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Port Shepstone

$10 * 1% 68.2% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $445 in Durban versus $397 in Port Shepstone. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Port Shepstone are about 2.4 times higher, 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 in Durban versus $40 in Port Shepstone. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Durban vs $147 in Port Shepstone – so Port Shepstone wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🕒 Local time

04:11 4:11 AM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

52,793

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Port Shepstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Durban and $1,511 in Port Shepstone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Shepstone, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $445 in Durban.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban and $40 in Port Shepstone. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Durban, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,130 in Durban and $1,007 in Port Shepstone. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Durban has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,007 in Port Shepstone to $1,130 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.