Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Sun City

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,270 in Sun City, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
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Sun City Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Sun City

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

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Durban vs $1,270 in Sun City, rent included.

Durban $1,130
Sun City $1,270

A couple spends around $1,748 per month in Durban vs $1,953 in Sun City, rent included.

Durban $1,748
Sun City $1,953

A family of three spends $2,366 per month in Durban vs $2,636 in Sun City, rent included.

Durban $2,366
Sun City $2,636

Durban is about 11% cheaper than Sun City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Durban and Sun City are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Sun City 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.93 R 132

$11.96 R 199

-33.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 652

$46.28 R 771

-15.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$7.46 R 124

-17.56%

Cappuccino

$2.73 R 45.52

$2.50 R 41.70

9.20%

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

$1.12 R 18.58

$1.26 R 21.01

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.22

$0.99 R 16.47

-8.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.48

$2.45 R 40.80

-0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 R 41.39

$2.76 R 46.01

-10.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.51

$1.33 R 22.14

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.75

$1.20 R 20.05

-15.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.96

$1.73 R 28.85

-13.29%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.49

$2.79 R 46.42

-12.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.22 R 137

$8.93 R 149

-7.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.6

$5.65 R 94.1

-5.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.28 R 121

$8.75 R 146

-16.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$2.10 R 35.07

-7.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.45

$1.87 R 31.17

4.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.35

$1.82 R 30.35

6.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.42

$2.14 R 35.68

-22.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.81

$1.65 R 27.43

-6.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.32

$1.79 R 29.80

-18.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.41

$1.45 R 24.20

-19.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.96

$1.30 R 21.70

-12.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.7

$3.51 R 58.5

3.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R 78.9

$6.02 R 100

-21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.42

$1.81 R 30.11

-22.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R 31.57

$2.31 R 38.43

-18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.78

$1.55 R 25.83

15.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 R 6.78

$0.88 R 14.68

-53.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.59

$0.95 R 15.82

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 129

$14.33 R 239

-46.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.83

$1.56 R 26.08

-4.49%

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

$35.5K R 591.4K

$35.8K R 596.0K

-0.78%

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

$32.3K R 538.6K

$34.8K R 580.3K

-7.19%

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

$148 R 2,460

$229 R 3,823

-35.65%

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

$35.49 R 591

$38.97 R 649

-8.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.45 R 657

$37.57 R 626

5.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.01 R 517

$32.51 R 542

-4.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.61 R 143

$11.11 R 185

-22.50%

Cinema Ticket

$7.39 R 123

$8.49 R 142

-12.96%

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

$317 R 5,274

$246 R 4,106

28.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,714 R 128.5K

$5,591 R 93.2K

37.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 887

$58.9 R 982

-9.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.50 R 508

$45.49 R 758

-32.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.1 R 1,651

$115 R 1,922

-14.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.0 R 1,417

$111 R 1,854

-23.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$445 R 7,414

$397 R 6,607

12.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$374 R 6,240

$359 R 5,982

4.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$814 R 13.6K

$724 R 12.1K

12.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 R 12.4K

$727 R 12.1K

2.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$820 R 13.7K

$874 R 14.6K

-6.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$565 R 9,419

$681 R 11.3K

-17.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.91

7.97%

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

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sun City: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$374 33.1%

Sun City

$359 28.3% 4.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$223 19.7%

Sun City

$306 24.1% 37.5% $83

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 17.2%

Sun City

$220 17.3% 13.4% $26

Eating Out

Durban

$140 12.4%

Sun City

$175 13.8% 25% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$121 10.7%

Sun City

$149 11.7% 23.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4.1%

Sun City

$50 3.9% 8.1% $3.7

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Sun City

$12 * 0.9% 63.8% $21

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 $397 in Sun City. 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 $39 in Durban versus $46 in Sun City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $220 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Sun City

🕒 Local time

00:55 12:55 AM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

1,556

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Durban Sun City 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Sun City

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 Sun City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sun City is pricier by about 12%, 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 $1,905 in Sun City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sun City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $445 in Durban.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Durban and $46 in Sun City. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Sun City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,130 in Durban and $1,270 in Sun City, 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 $1,270 in Sun City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.