Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Soweto Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Soweto

😐 Solo nomad: Durban is 4% more expensive than Soweto without rent, and 4.8% more expensive with rent.
πŸ™‚ Family of 3: Durban is 5.8% cheaper than Soweto without rent, and 3.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Durban
Soweto
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.41 RΒ 132
$8.58 RΒ 153
-13.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.47 RΒ 506
$33.26 RΒ 592
-14.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 RΒ 91.8
$4.83 RΒ 85.9
6.83%
Cappuccino
$1.91 RΒ 33.89
$2.1 RΒ 37.36
-9.05%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 RΒ 15.76
$1 RΒ 17.74
-11.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 RΒ 12.66
$0.8 RΒ 14.28
-11.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.91 RΒ 33.96
$2.27 RΒ 40.36
-15.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 RΒ 40.21
$2.83 RΒ 50.4
-20.14%
πŸ›’ Groceries & Markets
Durban
Soweto
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.04 RΒ 18.52
$1.19 RΒ 21.1
-12.61%
White Bread (500g)
$0.99 RΒ 17.52
$1.06 RΒ 18.77
-6.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 RΒ 25.37
$1.64 RΒ 29.16
-12.80%
Eggs
$2.09 RΒ 37.22
$2.47 RΒ 43.89
-15.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.16 RΒ 127
$7.55 RΒ 134
-5.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.59 RΒ 81.6
$4.62 RΒ 82.1
-0.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.44 RΒ 115
$6.32 RΒ 112
1.90%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 RΒ 27.97
$1.61 RΒ 28.62
-2.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 RΒ 25.37
$1.46 RΒ 26.01
-2.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 RΒ 24.55
$1.47 RΒ 26.15
-6.12%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.35 RΒ 24.05
$1.6 RΒ 28.43
-15.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 RΒ 22.46
$1.37 RΒ 24.41
-8.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 RΒ 20.93
$1.22 RΒ 21.78
-3.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.97 RΒ 17.27
$1.1 RΒ 19.57
-11.82%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 RΒ 17.28
$0.93 RΒ 16.6
4.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.12 RΒ 55.4
$2.84 RΒ 50.6
9.86%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.86 RΒ 86.4
$5.4 RΒ 96
-10.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.46 RΒ 25.95
$1.34 RΒ 23.9
8.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 RΒ 31.41
$1.66 RΒ 29.47
6.63%
🚌 Getting Around
Durban
Soweto
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.52 RΒ 26.95
$1.66 RΒ 29.58
-8.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$37.96 RΒ 675
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.71 RΒ 30.49
$1.1 RΒ 19.6
55.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.63 RΒ 11.19
$0.94 RΒ 16.78
-32.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.64 RΒ 118
$3.03 RΒ 53.9
119.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 RΒ 23.67
$1.22 RΒ 21.61
9.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.9K RΒ 353.8K
$19.3K RΒ 342.6K
3.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.1K RΒ 427.9K
$23.8K RΒ 423.3K
1.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Durban
Soweto
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$145 RΒ 2,570
$116 RΒ 2,070
24.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.28 RΒ 521
$36.84 RΒ 655
-20.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.11 RΒ 589
$38.77 RΒ 690
-14.60%
πŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Durban
Soweto
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.25 RΒ 609
$31.19 RΒ 555
9.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.32 RΒ 166
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.54 RΒ 116
$7.14 RΒ 127
-8.40%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Durban
Soweto
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$205 RΒ 3,650
$193 RΒ 3,437
6.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,650 RΒ 82.7K
$4,295 RΒ 76.4K
8.25%
πŸ‘•πŸ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Durban
Soweto
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.7 RΒ 742
$50.5 RΒ 897
-17.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.7 RΒ 528
$31.68 RΒ 563
-6.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.8 RΒ 1,686
$88 RΒ 1,564
7.74%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.3 RΒ 1,286
$78 RΒ 1,387
-7.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Durban
Soweto
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$379 RΒ 6,742
$358 RΒ 6,367
5.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$364 RΒ 6,471
$338 RΒ 6,015
7.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$738 RΒ 13.1K
$690 RΒ 12.3K
6.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$585 RΒ 10.4K
$686 RΒ 12.2K
-14.68%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$881 RΒ 15.7K
$757 RΒ 13.5K
16.43%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,107 RΒ 19.7K
$567 RΒ 10.1K
95.08%
πŸ’΅ Salaries & Financials
Durban
Soweto
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,183 RΒ 21K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.01
11.51
4.34%

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

Last update for Durban: October 29, 2025

Last update for Soweto: October 28, 2025

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