Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Secunda

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,027 a month against $1,166 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,166

/mo nomad

Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Secunda

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

A single person spends $1,166 per month in Durban vs $1,027 in Secunda, rent included.

Durban $1,166
Secunda $1,027

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Durban vs $1,667 in Secunda, rent included.

Durban $1,788
Secunda $1,667

A family of three spends $2,411 per month in Durban vs $2,306 in Secunda, rent included.

Durban $2,411
Secunda $2,306

Durban costs about 13% more than Secunda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Durban and Secunda are more affordable than the global median – Durban 14% lower, Secunda 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.00 R 132

$6.20 R 102

29.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.82 R 640

$30.52 R 503

27.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.14 R 101

$5.22 R 86.0

17.62%

Cappuccino

$2.62 R 43.15

$2.27 R 37.42

15.42%

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

$1.10 R 18.19

$0.81 R 13.38

35.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 14.92

$0.51 R 8.33

78.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 R 40.48

$1.07 R 17.59

129.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 R 42.25

$1.38 R 22.72

85.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.55

$1.16 R 19.14

2.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 R 15.38

$0.87 R 14.33

6.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.61

$1.84 R 30.33

-15.76%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.49

$2.43 R 40.04

-3.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R 140

$8.53 R 141

-0.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 R 85.9

$4.88 R 80.4

6.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 119

$7.11 R 117

1.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.21

$1.75 R 28.78

15.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.10

$1.68 R 27.69

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.79

$1.80 R 29.60

7.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.42

$1.65 R 27.15

0.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.99

$1.12 R 18.50

35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.89

$1.18 R 19.52

22.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.23

$1.24 R 20.38

-5.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$1.30 R 21.48

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.59 R 59.1

$3.35 R 55.3

7.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.99 R 82.3

$5.01 R 82.6

-0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.37

$1.53 R 25.21

-3.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 31.93

$1.92 R 31.66

1.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 R 30.60

$1.37 R 22.65

35.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.23 R 366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 R 7.43

$0.29 R 4.74

55.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R 12.23

$0.76 R 12.51

-2.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 R 129

$14.36 R 237

-45.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 R 25.80

$1.57 R 25.85

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

$36.1K R 594.9K

$35.7K R 587.4K

1.27%

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

$33.2K R 546.3K

$35.5K R 584.4K

-6.52%

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

$151 R 2,482

$156 R 2,569

-3.40%

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

$36.50 R 601

$38.00 R 626

-3.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.27 R 647

$37.12 R 612

5.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.16 R 530

$32.65 R 538

-1.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.90 R 147

$10.92 R 180

-18.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R 123

$7.33 R 121

2.32%

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

$315 R 5,184

$91.7 R 1,510

243.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,763 R 127.9K

$5,457 R 89.9K

42.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 R 895

-0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.58 R 504

$32.82 R 541

-6.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 R 1,627

$94.2 R 1,553

4.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,370

$82.6 R 1,360

0.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 R 7,738

$403 R 6,638

16.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,666

$324 R 5,336

24.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 R 13.6K

$708 R 11.7K

16.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 R 12.9K

$841 R 13.8K

-6.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$906 R 14.9K

$839 R 13.8K

8.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 R 9,707

$602 R 9,912

-2.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,296 R 21.3K

$1,466 R 24.2K

-11.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

11.34

3.88%

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

Last update for Durban: October 19, 2026

Last update for Secunda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$405 34.7%

Secunda

$324 31.5% 19.9% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$226 19.4%

Secunda

$231 22.5% 2.1% $4.7

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 16.7%

Secunda

$191 18.6% 1.8% $3.6

Eating Out

Durban

$139 12%

Secunda

$106 10.3% 24% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$120 10.3%

Secunda

$119 11.6% 1% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$47 4.1%

Secunda

$47 4.6% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Durban

$34 2.9%

Secunda

$9.6 * 0.9% 71.7% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $470 in Durban versus $403 in Secunda. 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 13% higher in Secunda, 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 $31.00 in Secunda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $191 – making Secunda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Secunda

🕒 Local time

14:29 2:29 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

40,198

💱 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 Secunda 410 km

From you

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 Secunda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,749 per month in Durban and $1,541 in Secunda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Durban and $31.00 in Secunda. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Durban, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Secunda, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Durban at $1,166. In Secunda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Secunda – 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 Secunda. 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.