Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and St Francis Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $979 a month against $1,120 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,120 per month in Durban vs $979 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Durban $1,120
St Francis Bay $979

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Durban vs $1,629 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Durban $1,725
St Francis Bay $1,629

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Durban vs $2,279 in St Francis Bay, rent included.

Durban $2,330
St Francis Bay $2,279

Durban costs about 14% more than St Francis Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Durban and St Francis Bay are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, St Francis Bay 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.55 R 140

$10.81 R 177

-20.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 R 604

$41.74 R 685

-11.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 R 99.3

$3.53 R 58.0

71.39%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 43.67

$2.14 R 35.06

24.30%

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

$1.06 R 17.44

$1.01 R 16.62

4.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.76

$0.72 R 11.89

16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 39.92

$2.06 R 33.72

17.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.07

$1.84 R 30.24

32.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.47

$0.94 R 15.43

26.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 R 15.80

$1.00 R 16.33

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.48

$1.50 R 24.64

-0.67%

Eggs

$2.26 R 37.01

$2.70 R 44.32

-16.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 R 133

$7.11 R 117

13.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 82.0

$5.22 R 85.7

-4.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 R 124

$8.63 R 142

-12.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 R 32.53

$2.18 R 35.71

-9.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 31.86

$1.46 R 23.93

32.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.68

$1.70 R 27.96

13.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.75

$1.81 R 29.62

-9.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.57

$1.74 R 28.48

-17.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.42

$1.37 R 22.56

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.84

$1.24 R 20.29

-2.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.35

$1.03 R 16.84

14.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 57.7

$3.14 R 51.5

12.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 77.8

$4.74 R 77.7

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.25

$1.27 R 20.84

16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 31.84

$1.81 R 29.72

7.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 R 29.05

$1.78 R 29.16

-0.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.91 R 359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.59

$0.82 R 13.44

-51.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.67

$0.46 R 7.51

54.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 R 127

$8.62 R 141

-9.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 24.81

$1.31 R 21.44

15.27%

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

$35.9K R 588.4K

$21.0K R 344.6K

70.75%

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

$33.4K R 548.0K

$35.2K R 577.0K

-5.01%

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

$147 R 2,416

$60.8 R 997

142.39%

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

$38.50 R 632

$34.39 R 564

11.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.93 R 622

$41.35 R 679

-8.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 R 496

$28.64 R 470

5.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 R 148

$12.00 R 197

-24.92%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 R 119

$9.20 R 151

-21.09%

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

$309 R 5,074

$179 R 2,934

72.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,433 R 122.0K

$6,135 R 100.7K

21.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 863

$71.9 R 1,179

-26.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.16 R 446

$39.31 R 645

-30.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 R 1,571

$112 R 1,842

-14.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 R 1,343

$95.1 R 1,560

-13.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 R 6,963

$420 R 6,891

1.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 R 6,017

$308 R 5,056

19.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 R 12.9K

$834 R 13.7K

-5.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 11.9K

$711 R 11.7K

1.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$836 R 13.7K

$784 R 12.9K

6.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,440

$648 R 10.6K

-11.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

11.94

-2.01%

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

Last update for Durban: November 2, 2026

Last update for St Francis Bay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$367 32.8%

St Francis Bay

$308 31.5% 16% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$224 20%

St Francis Bay

$136 14% 39% $87

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 17.2%

St Francis Bay

$190 19.4% 1.6% $3

Eating Out

Durban

$143 12.8%

St Francis Bay

$144 14.7% 0.4% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$116 10.3%

St Francis Bay

$143 14.7% 23.8% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$45 4%

St Francis Bay

$47 4.8% 5.1% $2.3

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

St Francis Bay

$10 * 1% 69% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $424 in Durban versus $420 in St Francis Bay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban versus $42 in St Francis Bay. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Durban vs $190 in St Francis Bay – so St Francis Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

5,910

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Durban St Francis Bay 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Durban
St Francis Bay

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 St Francis Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,680 per month in Durban and $1,468 in St Francis Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $424 in Durban and $420 in St Francis Bay. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban and $42 in St Francis Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $309 per month in Durban and $179 in St Francis Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Durban has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $979 in St Francis Bay to $1,120 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.