Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Tembisa

For one person, living costs are similar in Durban and in Tembisa: $1,120 and $1,097 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
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Tembisa Living Index

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Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Tembisa

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

A single person spends $1,120 per month in Durban vs $1,097 in Tembisa, rent included.

Durban $1,120
Tembisa $1,097

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Durban vs $1,746 in Tembisa, rent included.

Durban $1,725
Tembisa $1,746

A family of three spends $2,330 per month in Durban vs $2,396 in Tembisa, rent included.

Durban $2,330
Tembisa $2,396

Durban and Tembisa have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Durban and Tembisa are more affordable than the global median – Durban 17% lower, Tembisa 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.55 R 142

$9.39 R 157

-8.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.80 R 613

$37.92 R 632

-2.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.05 R 101

$5.61 R 93.5

7.84%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 44.35

$2.19 R 36.49

21.46%

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

$1.06 R 17.71

$1.03 R 17.15

2.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.97

$0.84 R 14.02

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.55

$2.38 R 39.73

2.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.70

$2.63 R 43.85

-7.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.78

$1.18 R 19.62

0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 R 16.05

$1.10 R 18.28

-12.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.86

$1.73 R 28.87

-13.87%

Eggs

$2.26 R 37.59

$2.40 R 40.05

-5.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.09 R 135

$8.54 R 142

-5.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 R 83.3

$4.90 R 81.7

2.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 R 126

$7.14 R 119

5.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 R 33.04

$1.85 R 30.83

7.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.36

$1.68 R 27.99

15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 32.18

$1.79 R 29.81

7.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.17

$1.66 R 27.71

-1.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.94

$1.37 R 22.80

5.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.77

$1.42 R 23.73

-3.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.15

$1.17 R 19.45

3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R 19.65

$1.21 R 20.22

-2.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.6

$3.39 R 56.5

3.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 79.0

$4.60 R 76.6

3.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.63

$1.50 R 25.01

-1.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.34

$1.85 R 30.80

4.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 R 29.50

$2.00 R 33.30

-11.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.91 R 365

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.69

$0.74 R 12.26

-45.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.85

$0.89 R 14.82

-20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.77 R 129

$12.30 R 205

-36.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 R 25.20

$1.52 R 25.35

-0.66%

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

$35.9K R 597.6K

$30.5K R 508.4K

17.55%

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

$33.4K R 556.6K

$35.5K R 591.5K

-5.90%

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

$147 R 2,454

$148 R 2,464

-0.42%

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

$38.50 R 642

$29.63 R 494

29.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.93 R 632

$37.06 R 618

2.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.24 R 504

$34.10 R 568

-11.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.01 R 150

$11.10 R 185

-18.83%

Cinema Ticket

$7.26 R 121

$7.29 R 121

-0.41%

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

$309 R 5,153

$233 R 3,878

32.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,433 R 123.9K

$6,189 R 103.1K

20.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R 876

$52.6 R 877

-0.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.16 R 453

$29.62 R 494

-8.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 R 1,596

$99.5 R 1,658

-3.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 R 1,364

$91.8 R 1,530

-10.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 R 7,072

$364 R 6,066

16.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 R 6,111

$363 R 6,042

1.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$785 R 13.1K

$802 R 13.4K

-2.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.1K

$815 R 13.6K

-11.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$836 R 13.9K

$724 R 12.1K

15.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,588

$637 R 10.6K

-9.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 R 21.7K

$563 R 9,381

131.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.7

10.92

7.14%

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

Last update for Durban: November 2, 2026

Last update for Tembisa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$367 32.8%

Tembisa

$363 33.1% 1.1% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$224 20%

Tembisa

$215 19.6% 4.1% $9.1

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 17.2%

Tembisa

$192 17.5% 0.2% $0.5

Eating Out

Durban

$143 12.8%

Tembisa

$143 13% 0.1% $0.2

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$116 10.3%

Tembisa

$123 11.2% 6.3% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$45 4%

Tembisa

$49 4.4% 8.7% $3.9

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Tembisa

$13 * 1.2% 60% $20

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 $364 in Tembisa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Durban are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban versus $38 in Tembisa. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Durban vs $192 in Tembisa – so Tembisa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

463,109

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Durban Tembisa 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Tembisa

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 Tembisa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,680 per month in Durban and $1,646 in Tembisa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tembisa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $364 there versus $424 in Durban.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Durban and $38 in Tembisa. 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 $233 in Tembisa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,120 in Durban and $1,097 in Tembisa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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