Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Welkom

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,057 a month against $1,150 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
Learn more

Welkom Living Index

Jump to prices

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durban and in Welkom

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

A single person spends $1,150 per month in Durban vs $1,057 in Welkom, rent included.

Durban $1,150
Welkom $1,057

A couple spends around $1,777 per month in Durban vs $1,595 in Welkom, rent included.

Durban $1,777
Welkom $1,595

A family of three spends $2,404 per month in Durban vs $2,132 in Welkom, rent included.

Durban $2,404
Welkom $2,132

Durban costs about 9% more than Welkom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Durban and Welkom are more affordable than the global median – Durban 15% lower, Welkom 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.84 R 129

$9.03 R 149

-13.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.75 R 638

$20.75 R 342

86.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.87 R 96.7

$5.50 R 90.6

6.73%

Cappuccino

$2.63 R 43.30

$2.30 R 37.92

14.35%

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

$1.08 R 17.85

$0.50 R 8.20

116.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.72

$0.63 R 10.32

41.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 38.99

$1.19 R 19.67

99.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 R 43.10

$1.52 R 25.05

72.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.33

$1.05 R 17.35

17.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 R 16.23

$1.06 R 17.42

-6.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.71

$1.42 R 23.35

5.63%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.58

$1.80 R 29.60

30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.10 R 133

$6.71 R 111

20.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 R 83.8

$4.52 R 74.4

12.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.48 R 123

$4.82 R 79.5

55.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.78

$1.52 R 25.12

26.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.36

$1.68 R 27.69

13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.42

$1.72 R 28.42

11.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.09

$1.20 R 19.72

36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.61

$1.13 R 18.54

31.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.11

$1.22 R 20.09

14.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.17 R 19.33

$0.95 R 15.69

23.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.84

$1.34 R 22.12

-14.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.64 R 60.0

$2.48 R 40.92

46.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.75 R 78.2

$2.44 R 40.23

94.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.27

$1.53 R 25.18

-7.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.45

$1.83 R 30.12

1.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 R 29.63

$1.44 R 23.72

25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.77 R 359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 R 6.60

$0.31 R 5.11

29.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.47

$0.81 R 13.35

-6.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.53 R 124

$14.49 R 239

-48.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.52

$1.52 R 25.04

1.97%

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

$35.0K R 577.2K

$35.3K R 581.8K

-0.78%

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

$31.3K R 515.5K

$34.5K R 568.2K

-9.27%

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

$148 R 2,435

$151 R 2,491

-2.26%

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

$35.20 R 580

$37.35 R 615

-5.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.95 R 642

$36.39 R 600

7.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.79 R 524

$32.34 R 533

-1.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.10 R 150

$9.53 R 157

-4.51%

Cinema Ticket

$7.32 R 121

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

$312 R 5,143

$265 R 4,368

17.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,555 R 124.5K

$5,448 R 89.8K

38.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R 905

$54.2 R 893

1.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.90 R 509

$31.69 R 522

-2.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,648

$92.2 R 1,519

8.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,389

$82.6 R 1,361

2.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$463 R 7,621

$394 R 6,490

17.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,555

$364 R 5,997

9.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 R 13.5K

$729 R 12.0K

12.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$789 R 13.0K

$736 R 12.1K

7.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$878 R 14.5K

$950 R 15.6K

-7.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$580 R 9,557

$754 R 12.4K

-23.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,271 R 20.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

11.34

3.88%

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

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Last update for Welkom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durban

$398 34.6%

Welkom

$364 34.4% 8.5% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durban

$222 19.3%

Welkom

$225 21.3% 1.4% $3

Groceries & Markets

Durban

$193 16.7%

Welkom

$164 15.5% 15% $29

Eating Out

Durban

$137 11.9%

Welkom

$130 12.3% 5.1% $7

Clothing & Footwear

Durban

$122 10.6%

Welkom

$117 11.1% 3.5% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Durban

$46 4%

Welkom

$47 4.5% 1.2% $0.6

Getting Around

Durban

$33 2.9%

Welkom

$10 * 1% 69.5% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $463 in Durban versus $394 in Welkom. 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 $21.00 in Welkom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $164 – making Welkom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durban

🇿🇦 Welkom

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

Same time as Durban

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

64,130

💱 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 Welkom 470 km

From you

Durban
Welkom

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 Welkom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,726 per month in Durban and $1,585 in Welkom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Welkom, 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 $21.00 in Welkom. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Durban, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Welkom, where all-in costs run around $1,057, than in Durban at $1,150. In Welkom it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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