Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Durbanville and Johannesburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Durbanville: $1,153 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Durbanville
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Durbanville Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index

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Durbanville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Durbanville and in Johannesburg

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Durbanville and in Johannesburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,153 per month in Durbanville vs $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Durbanville $1,153
Johannesburg $1,410

A couple spends around $1,834 per month in Durbanville vs $2,182 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Durbanville $1,834
Johannesburg $2,182

A family of three spends $2,516 per month in Durbanville vs $2,954 in Johannesburg, rent included.

Durbanville $2,516
Johannesburg $2,954

Durbanville is about 18% cheaper than Johannesburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Durbanville sits 15% below the global median, while Johannesburg is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.29 R 204

$11.92 R 198

3.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.72 R 777

$44.33 R 738

5.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 R 99.8

$7.42 R 124

-19.14%

Cappuccino

$2.46 R 40.93

$2.39 R 39.74

2.93%

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

$0.94 R 15.68

$1.21 R 20.19

-22.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 R 10.53

$0.96 R 15.91

-34.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 R 39.94

$2.42 R 40.31

-0.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 R 46.52

$2.67 R 44.35

4.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.08

$1.29 R 21.52

3.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 R 20.38

$1.19 R 19.87

3.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 R 35.98

$1.70 R 28.36

27.06%

Eggs

$3.24 R 53.9

$2.75 R 45.76

17.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.97 R 149

$8.68 R 144

3.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.85 R 114

$5.56 R 92.6

23.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.69 R 161

$8.92 R 148

8.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 R 31.74

$2.08 R 34.58

-8.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 R 32.02

$1.81 R 30.14

6.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.45

$1.73 R 28.82

2.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 R 36.00

$2.10 R 34.95

2.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.72

$1.70 R 28.35

-8.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.77

$1.79 R 29.70

-16.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.65

$1.49 R 24.79

-12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.18

$1.23 R 20.53

-6.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.5

$3.48 R 58.0

2.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.95 R 98.9

$6.10 R 102

-2.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.45

$1.86 R 31.00

-24.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 R 36.48

$2.40 R 39.91

-8.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.56

$1.78 R 29.69

-13.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,481

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.79

$0.81 R 13.52

-27.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.48

$0.87 R 14.45

75.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 R 85.2

$14.32 R 238

-64.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 R 26.74

$1.53 R 25.43

5.23%

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

$35.5K R 590.7K

$35.5K R 590.1K

0.10%

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

$34.4K R 571.5K

$34.0K R 565.9K

1.00%

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

$116 R 1,928

$224 R 3,721

-48.18%

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

$29.03 R 483

$39.12 R 651

-25.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.89 R 680

$36.93 R 614

10.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.91 R 531

$35.49 R 590

-10.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.78 R 179

$17.43 R 290

-38.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 R 153

$8.29 R 138

10.86%

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

$266 R 4,428

$240 R 3,990

10.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,797 R 113.1K

$5,471 R 91.0K

24.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 R 925

$58.0 R 965

-4.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.11 R 534

$44.96 R 748

-28.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$120 R 1,997

$111 R 1,852

7.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,784

$113 R 1,872

-4.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$390 R 6,496

$526 R 8,756

-25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 6,063

$419 R 6,979

-13.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.2K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-33.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.2K

$885 R 14.7K

-17.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$866 R 14.4K

$1,035 R 17.2K

-16.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$683 R 11.4K

$734 R 12.2K

-6.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,033 R 17.2K

$1,709 R 28.4K

-39.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.91

0.55%

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

Last update for Durbanville: October 25, 2026

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Durbanville

$364 31.6%

Johannesburg

$419 29.8% 15.1% $55

Groceries & Markets

Durbanville

$226 19.6%

Johannesburg

$218 15.5% 3.8% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Durbanville

$186 16.1%

Johannesburg

$300 21.3% 61.3% $114

Eating Out

Durbanville

$170 14.7%

Johannesburg

$172 12.2% 1.6% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Durbanville

$142 12.3%

Johannesburg

$147 10.4% 3.7% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Durbanville

$50 4.4%

Johannesburg

$52 3.7% 3.6% $1.8

Getting Around

Durbanville

$14 * 1.3%

Johannesburg

$101 7.2% 604% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $390 in Durbanville versus $526 in Johannesburg. 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 65% higher in Johannesburg. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Durbanville versus $44 in Johannesburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $218 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Durbanville

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

Same time as Durbanville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,000

4,434,827

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Durbanville Johannesburg 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Durbanville
Johannesburg

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

Durbanville vs Johannesburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 22% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,729 per month in Durbanville and $2,115 in Johannesburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durbanville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,153 in Durbanville and $1,410 in Johannesburg. That’s a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $266 per month in Durbanville and $240 in Johannesburg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,153 in Durbanville and $1,410 in Johannesburg. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,153 in Durbanville to $1,410 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Durbanville. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.