Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Roodepoort

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,172 in Roodepoort, rent and utilities included – about $500 less a year. The total is higher in Roodepoort despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Roodepoort
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Roodepoort Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Roodepoort

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,172

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Roodepoort

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $1,172 in Roodepoort, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Roodepoort $1,172

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $1,767 in Roodepoort, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Roodepoort $1,767

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $2,362 in Roodepoort, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Roodepoort $2,362

Durban is about 4% cheaper than Roodepoort, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Durban and Roodepoort are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Roodepoort 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$12.00 R 200

-33.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 651

$44.96 R 748

-12.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$7.11 R 118

-13.50%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.45

$2.43 R 40.47

12.35%

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

$1.12 R 18.55

$1.13 R 18.87

-0.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.19

$0.98 R 16.28

-7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.41

$2.44 R 40.53

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.33

$2.78 R 46.26

-10.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.48

$1.21 R 20.16

-3.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.72

$1.15 R 19.12

-12.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.92

$1.78 R 29.68

-15.73%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.43

$2.51 R 41.77

-3.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$8.79 R 146

-6.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.4

$5.38 R 89.5

-1.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$8.88 R 148

-18.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.39

$1.86 R 30.94

4.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.40

$1.79 R 29.77

8.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.29

$1.73 R 28.78

12.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.37

$2.13 R 35.43

-22.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.77

$1.72 R 28.58

-9.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.28

$1.77 R 29.40

-17.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.38

$1.21 R 20.18

-3.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.93

$1.26 R 20.91

-9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.6

$3.50 R 58.2

4.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.8

$5.85 R 97.3

-19.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.39

$1.52 R 25.34

-7.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.52

$1.91 R 31.75

-1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.73

$0.81 R 13.43

120.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.77

$0.81 R 13.40

-49.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.57

$0.88 R 14.71

-13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 128

$14.69 R 244

-47.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.79

$1.56 R 25.91

-4.49%

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

$35.5K R 590.4K

$34.7K R 577.7K

2.21%

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

$32.3K R 537.7K

$35.1K R 583.8K

-7.90%

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

$148 R 2,456

$226 R 3,761

-34.70%

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

$35.49 R 590

$39.16 R 652

-9.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 656

$37.33 R 621

5.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 516

$47.68 R 793

-34.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$7.35 R 122

0.54%

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

$317 R 5,266

$238 R 3,967

32.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.3K

$5,476 R 91.1K

40.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 886

$52.1 R 866

2.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 507

$32.49 R 541

-6.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,648

$110 R 1,822

-9.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,414

$88.4 R 1,471

-3.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,402

$598 R 9,957

-25.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,230

$289 R 4,800

29.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.5K

$1,530 R 25.5K

-46.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$531 R 8,828

40.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,404

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

$1,519 R 25.3K

-15.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

11.25

4.71%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Roodepoort: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Roodepoort

$289 24.6% 23% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Roodepoort

$303 25.8% 35.9% $80

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Roodepoort

$210 17.9% 8.2% $16

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Roodepoort

$173 14.7% 23.4% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Roodepoort

$127 10.9% 5.5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Roodepoort

$62 5.3% 36.2% $17

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Roodepoort

$8.5 * 0.7% 74.1% $24

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 $598 in Roodepoort. 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 19% higher in Roodepoort. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban versus $45 in Roodepoort. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $210 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Roodepoort

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

325,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Durban Roodepoort 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

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Durban
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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 Roodepoort: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Roodepoort is pricier by about 4%, 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 $1,758 in Roodepoort. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $598 in Roodepoort.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban and $45 in Roodepoort. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Roodepoort, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,130 in Durban and $1,172 in Roodepoort, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Durban has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,130 in Durban to $1,172 in Roodepoort. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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