Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Uitenhage

For one person, living costs are similar in Durban and in Uitenhage: $1,166 and $1,167 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Uitenhage
Learn more

Uitenhage Living Index

Jump to prices

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,166

/mo nomad

Uitenhage

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Uitenhage

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

A single person spends $1,166 per month in Durban vs $1,167 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Durban $1,166
Uitenhage $1,167

A couple spends around $1,788 per month in Durban vs $1,832 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Durban $1,788
Uitenhage $1,832

A family of three spends $2,411 per month in Durban vs $2,497 in Uitenhage, rent included.

Durban $2,411
Uitenhage $2,497

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.00 R 132

$10.99 R 181

-27.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.82 R 640

$43.28 R 713

-10.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.14 R 101

$5.88 R 96.9

4.42%

Cappuccino

$2.62 R 43.15

$2.17 R 35.83

20.74%

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

$1.10 R 18.19

$1.06 R 17.38

3.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 14.92

$0.73 R 12.00

24.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.46 R 40.48

$2.68 R 44.15

-8.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 R 42.25

$3.25 R 53.5

-21.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.55

$1.17 R 19.29

1.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.93 R 15.38

$0.81 R 13.36

14.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.61

$1.52 R 25.02

1.97%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.49

$2.84 R 46.76

-17.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.47 R 140

$8.91 R 147

-4.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.21 R 85.9

$5.35 R 88.2

-2.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 119

$8.73 R 144

-17.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.21

$2.20 R 36.29

-8.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.10

$1.51 R 24.85

25.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.79

$1.69 R 27.80

14.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.42

$1.82 R 29.92

-8.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.99

$1.77 R 29.08

-14.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.89

$1.45 R 23.94

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.23

$1.30 R 21.50

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$1.02 R 16.84

12.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.59 R 59.1

$3.12 R 51.4

15.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.99 R 82.3

$3.68 R 60.6

35.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.37

$1.28 R 21.16

15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 31.93

$1.82 R 29.97

6.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 R 30.60

$1.51 R 24.95

23.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.23 R 366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 R 7.43

$0.60 R 9.82

-25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 R 12.23

$0.51 R 8.41

45.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.85 R 129

$8.68 R 143

-9.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 R 25.80

$1.49 R 24.50

5.37%

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

$36.1K R 594.9K

$35.6K R 587.1K

1.32%

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

$33.2K R 546.3K

$35.0K R 577.1K

-5.33%

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

$151 R 2,482

$125 R 2,066

20.15%

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

$36.50 R 601

$35.55 R 586

2.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.27 R 647

$45.37 R 747

-13.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.16 R 530

$30.09 R 496

6.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.90 R 147

$12.05 R 199

-26.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 R 123

$10.55 R 174

-28.91%

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

$315 R 5,184

$179 R 2,955

75.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,763 R 127.9K

$6,248 R 102.9K

24.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 R 895

$72.6 R 1,196

-25.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.58 R 504

$38.39 R 632

-20.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.7 R 1,627

$114 R 1,873

-13.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 R 1,370

$96.2 R 1,584

-13.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 R 7,738

$443 R 7,304

5.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,666

$401 R 6,606

0.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 R 13.6K

$646 R 10.6K

27.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$783 R 12.9K

$798 R 13.1K

-1.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$906 R 14.9K

$897 R 14.8K

1.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$589 R 9,707

$740 R 12.2K

-20.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,296 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

11.94

-1.34%

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

Last update for Durban: October 19, 2026

Last update for Uitenhage: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$405 34.7%

Uitenhage

$401 34.4% 0.9% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$226 19.4%

Uitenhage

$206 17.7% 8.9% $20

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$194 16.7%

Uitenhage

$196 16.8% 0.8% $1.5

Eating Out

Durban

$139 12%

Uitenhage

$159 13.6% 13.9% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$120 10.3%

Uitenhage

$144 12.4% 20.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$47 4.1%

Uitenhage

$51 4.4% 8.5% $4

Getting Around

Durban

$34 2.9%

Uitenhage

$9.2 * 0.8% 72.8% $25

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 $443 in Uitenhage. 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 $39.00 in Durban versus $43.00 in Uitenhage. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $196 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Uitenhage

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

103,639

💱 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 Uitenhage 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Durban
Uitenhage

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 Uitenhage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,749 per month in Durban and $1,750 in Uitenhage. 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 $43.00 in Uitenhage. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $315 per month in Durban and $179 in Uitenhage. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Durban, where all-in costs run around $1,166, than in Uitenhage at $1,167. In Durban it covers expenses comfortably, while in Uitenhage 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, Uitenhage makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.