Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Richards Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Richards Bay

😐 Solo nomad: Durban is 3.1% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 3.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Durban is 10.6% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 6.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
Richards Bay
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.35 R 120
$7.78 R 127
-5.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.99 R 456
$28.10 R 458
-0.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.93 R 80.4
$5.00 R 81.6
-1.40%
Cappuccino
$1.96 R 31.98
$1.99 R 32.42
-1.51%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.51
$0.92 R 15.03
-3.26%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 R 11.65
$0.71 R 11.62
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.94 R 31.66
$1.41 R 23.06
37.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.17 R 35.43
$1.66 R 27.09
30.72%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Durban
Richards Bay
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 R 16.86
$0.96 R 15.64
7.29%
White Bread (500g)
$0.96 R 15.63
$0.93 R 15.12
3.23%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.00
$1.47 R 23.94
-
Eggs
$2.10 R 34.23
$2.17 R 35.40
-3.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.23 R 118
$7.49 R 122
-3.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.50 R 73.4
$4.45 R 72.5
1.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.26 R 102
$5.54 R 90.2
13.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.49
$1.52 R 24.76
-1.32%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 R 22.35
$1.42 R 23.19
-3.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 R 22.49
$1.37 R 22.34
0.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.35 R 22.07
$1.29 R 21.07
4.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 R 21.49
$1.14 R 18.50
15.79%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 R 19.10
$1.04 R 17.03
12.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 R 16.77
$0.98 R 15.94
5.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.57
$0.96 R 15.64
-7.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 R 49.52
$2.40 R 39.10
26.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.88 R 79.6
$4.99 R 81.4
-2.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 R 23.76
$1.45 R 23.64
0.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 R 28.22
$1.75 R 28.57
-1.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
Richards Bay
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.55 R 25.30
$1.68 R 27.37
-7.74%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$38.88 R 634
$94.9 R 1,547
-59.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.70 R 27.67
$1.70 R 27.68
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.58 R 9.42
$0.61 R 10.02
-4.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.59 R 107
$6.68 R 109
-1.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 R 21.68
$1.28 R 20.82
3.91%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.5K R 333.6K
$19.8K R 322.6K
3.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K R 391.7K
$24.3K R 396.1K
-1.11%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
Richards Bay
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 R 2,358
$130 R 2,122
11.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.02 R 473
$29.20 R 476
-0.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.87 R 552
$34.07 R 555
-0.59%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Durban
Richards Bay
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.73 R 566
$32.12 R 524
8.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.45 R 154
$4.59 R 74.8
105.88%
Cinema Ticket
$6.79 R 111
$6.58 R 107
3.19%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
Richards Bay
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$204 R 3,320
$92.5 R 1,507
120.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,538 R 74.0K
$2,448 R 39.9K
85.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Durban
Richards Bay
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.70 R 696
$42.71 R 696
-0.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.08 R 490
$18.78 R 306
60.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.8 R 1,530
$86.3 R 1,407
8.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.2 R 1,193
$72.0 R 1,174
1.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
Richards Bay
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$365 R 5,951
$385 R 6,282
-5.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,040
$289 R 4,704
28.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$734 R 12.0K
$828 R 13.5K
-11.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$598 R 9,743
$596 R 9,715
0.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$963 R 15.7K
$772 R 12.6K
24.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$698 R 11.4K
$614 R 10.0K
13.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Durban
Richards Bay
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,278 R 20.8K
$1,105 R 18.0K
15.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.01
12.01
-

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

Last update for Durban: April 13, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: April 12, 2026

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

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