Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Rayong

For one person, living is cheaper in Rayong: $940 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Rayong
Learn more

Rayong Living Index

Jump to prices

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Rayong

🇹🇭 Thailand

$940

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Rayong

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $940 in Rayong, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Rayong $940

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $1,192 in Rayong, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Rayong $1,192

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $1,444 in Rayong, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Rayong $1,444

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

Both Durban and Rayong are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Rayong 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$2.99 ฿101

165.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 652

$17.80 ฿601

119.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$7.53 ฿254

-18.33%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.52

$1.68 ฿56.7

62.50%

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

$1.12 R 18.58

$0.52 ฿17.43

115.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.22

$0.28 ฿9.49

225.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.48

$1.74 ฿58.9

39.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.39

$3.01 ฿102

-17.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.51

$1.90 ฿64.3

-38.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.75

$1.32 ฿44.47

-23.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.96

$1.40 ฿47.31

7.14%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.49

$2.48 ฿83.8

-2.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$17.25 ฿582

-52.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.6

$2.86 ฿96.4

86.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$13.00 ฿439

-44.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$3.29 ฿111

-40.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$1.73 ฿58.6

12.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.35

$2.26 ฿76.5

-14.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.42

$1.88 ฿63.6

-12.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.81

$1.69 ฿57.1

-8.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.32

$1.48 ฿49.95

-1.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.41

$1.28 ฿43.09

-8.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.96

$0.48 ฿16.15

137.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.7

$4.76 ฿161

-23.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.9

$14.72 ฿497

-67.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.42

$1.77 ฿59.8

-20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.57

$3.26 ฿110

-42.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.78

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$1.06 ฿35.92

-61.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.59

$1.20 ฿40.50

-36.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$6.09 ฿206

26.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.83

$1.40 ฿47.17

6.43%

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

$35.5K R 591.4K

$30.6K ฿1.0M

15.87%

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

$32.3K R 538.6K

$26.5K ฿893.2K

22.19%

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

$148 R 2,460

$44.92 ฿1,517

228.65%

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

$35.49 R 591

$14.62 ฿494

142.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 657

$11.77 ฿397

235.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 517

$67.2 ฿2,270

-53.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

$17.41 ฿588

-50.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$6.63 ฿224

11.46%

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

$317 R 5,274

$788 ฿26.6K

-59.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.5K

$16.5K ฿556.9K

-53.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 887

$69.4 ฿2,343

-23.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 508

$43.09 ฿1,455

-29.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,651

$98.1 ฿3,313

0.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,417

$103 ฿3,479

-17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,414

$421 ฿14.2K

5.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,240

$293 ฿9,911

27.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,419

$1,999 ฿67.5K

-71.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

$460 ฿15.5K

178.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

5.25

124.38%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rayong: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Rayong

$293 31.2% 21.6% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Rayong

$71 7.6% 68% $151

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Rayong

$262 27.9% 34.8% $68

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Rayong

$85 9% 39.5% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Rayong

$141 15% 17.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Rayong

$80 8.6% 75.7% $35

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Rayong

$7.1 * 0.8% 78.4% $26

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 $421 in Rayong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Durban are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban versus $18 in Rayong. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Durban vs $262 in Rayong – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇹🇭 Rayong

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

03:27 3:27 AM

5 h ahead of Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

63,565

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Durban Rayong 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Rayong

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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 Rayong: 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 $1,695 per month in Durban and $1,410 in Rayong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $445 in Durban and $421 in Rayong. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban and $18 in Rayong. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in Durban – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Durban has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $940 in Rayong to $1,130 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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