Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Stellenbosch

For one person, living costs are similar in Durban and in Stellenbosch: $1,166 and $1,174 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
Learn more

Stellenbosch Living Index

Jump to prices

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,166

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,174

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Stellenbosch

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

A single person spends $1,166 per month in Durban vs $1,174 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Durban $1,166
Stellenbosch $1,174

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Durban vs $1,947 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Durban $1,788
Stellenbosch $1,947

A family of three spends $2,411 per month in Durban vs $2,721 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Durban $2,411
Stellenbosch $2,721

Durban is about 1% cheaper than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Durban and Stellenbosch are more affordable than the global median – Durban 14% lower, Stellenbosch 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.00 R 132

$7.50 R 124

6.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.82 R 640

$36.96 R 609

5.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.14 R 101

$4.97 R 81.9

23.54%

Cappuccino

$2.62 R 43.15

$2.13 R 35.16

23.00%

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

$1.10 R 18.19

$1.00 R 16.45

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 14.92

$0.73 R 12.06

24.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 R 40.48

$2.66 R 43.84

-7.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 R 42.25

$3.17 R 52.2

-19.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.55

$1.35 R 22.30

-11.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 R 15.38

$1.15 R 19.00

-19.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.61

$1.80 R 29.63

-13.89%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.49

$2.85 R 47.01

-17.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R 140

$8.75 R 144

-3.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 R 85.9

$5.94 R 97.9

-12.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 119

$7.50 R 124

-4.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.21

$1.75 R 28.90

15.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.10

$1.48 R 24.42

27.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.79

$1.73 R 28.56

11.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.42

$1.54 R 25.45

7.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.99

$1.08 R 17.86

40.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.89

$1.56 R 25.77

-7.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.23

$1.36 R 22.37

-13.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$1.19 R 19.54

-3.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.59 R 59.1

$3.75 R 61.8

-4.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.99 R 82.3

$6.13 R 101

-18.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.37

$1.35 R 22.30

9.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 31.93

$2.16 R 35.56

-10.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 R 30.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.23 R 366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 R 7.43

$0.60 R 9.87

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R 12.23

$1.49 R 24.55

-50.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 R 129

$5.12 R 84.4

53.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 R 25.80

$1.38 R 22.79

13.77%

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

$36.1K R 594.9K

$35.5K R 585.4K

1.62%

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

$33.2K R 546.3K

$34.0K R 560.3K

-2.50%

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

$151 R 2,482

$103 R 1,701

45.92%

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

$36.50 R 601

$29.34 R 483

24.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.27 R 647

$34.40 R 567

14.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.16 R 530

$29.41 R 485

9.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.90 R 147

$17.07 R 281

-47.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R 123

$8.74 R 144

-14.19%

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

$315 R 5,184

$266 R 4,381

18.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,763 R 127.9K

$2,413 R 39.8K

221.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 R 895

$52.4 R 864

3.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.58 R 504

$28.86 R 476

5.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 R 1,627

$120 R 1,982

-17.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,370

$89.6 R 1,476

-7.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 R 7,738

$677 R 11.2K

-30.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,666

$490 R 8,078

-17.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 R 13.6K

$1,475 R 24.3K

-44.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 R 12.9K

$1,196 R 19.7K

-34.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$906 R 14.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 R 9,707

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,296 R 21.3K

$2,583 R 42.6K

-49.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.7

10.09%

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

Last update for Durban: October 19, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$405 34.7%

Stellenbosch

$490 41.8% 21.2% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$226 19.4%

Stellenbosch

$167 14.2% 26.3% $59

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 16.7%

Stellenbosch

$204 17.4% 4.9% $9.5

Eating Out

Durban

$139 12%

Stellenbosch

$127 10.8% 8.8% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$120 10.3%

Stellenbosch

$131 11.2% 9.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$47 4.1%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 0.6% $0.3

Getting Around

Durban

$34 2.9%

Stellenbosch

$8.1 * 0.7% 76.2% $26

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 $677 in Stellenbosch. 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 99% higher in Stellenbosch, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Durban versus $37.00 in Stellenbosch. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Durban vs $204 in Stellenbosch – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

19,068

💱 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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Durban Stellenbosch 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Stellenbosch

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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stellenbosch is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,749 per month in Durban and $1,761 in Stellenbosch. 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. 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 $37.00 in Stellenbosch. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 5% more in Stellenbosch, 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 Durban, where all-in costs run around $1,166, than in Stellenbosch at $1,174. In Durban it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stellenbosch it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Durban – 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 Durban. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stellenbosch makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.