Cost of Living Comparison Between Emalahleni and Durban Cost of Living Comparison Between Emalahleni and Durban

😐 Solo nomad: Emalahleni is 42.9% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 0.5% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Emalahleni is 33% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 11.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.26 R 181

$7.74 R 125

45.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.11 R 710

$28.50 R 459

54.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.96 R 79.8

$5.10 R 82.1

-2.75%

Cappuccino

$2.27 R 36.53

$2.00 R 32.23

13.50%

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

$0.98 R 15.83

$0.89 R 14.34

10.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.38

$0.70 R 11.31

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 R 41.85

$1.99 R 31.97

30.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 R 41.00

$2.18 R 35.12

16.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R 18.58

$1.04 R 16.78

10.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 R 14.72

$0.95 R 15.35

-4.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 27.33

$1.47 R 23.61

15.65%

Eggs

$2.04 R 32.89

$2.19 R 35.28

-6.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 R 134

$7.41 R 119

12.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.21 R 67.9

$4.40 R 70.9

-4.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.55 R 89.3

$6.33 R 102

-12.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.38 R 22.24

$1.57 R 25.23

-12.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.13

$1.41 R 22.72

-2.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.20

$1.33 R 21.36

8.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 R 22.80

$1.31 R 21.04

8.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.01

$1.32 R 21.26

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 R 14.84

$1.17 R 18.85

-21.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 R 17.05

$0.98 R 15.82

8.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.53

$0.94 R 15.18

2.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.65 R 42.72

$3.16 R 50.8

-16.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 R 98.5

$4.83 R 77.8

26.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.08

$1.41 R 22.77

-15.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 24.75

$1.68 R 27.04

-8.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 R 39.44

$1.51 R 24.27

62.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$117 R 1,880

$38.66 R 622

201.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 R 10.51

$1.73 R 27.81

-62.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.34

$0.61 R 9.88

45.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 R 61.3

$6.82 R 110

-44.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R 19.92

$1.34 R 21.50

-7.46%

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

$22.2K R 356.9K

$19.9K R 319.7K

11.63%

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

$24.4K R 392.3K

$24.2K R 389.1K

0.80%

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

$112 R 1,800

$142 R 2,294

-21.53%

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

$40.32 R 649

$28.88 R 465

39.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.41 R 683

$33.20 R 535

27.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.89 R 546

$34.47 R 555

-1.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.64 R 364

$9.00 R 145

151.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.50 R 88.6

$6.83 R 110

-19.47%

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

$203 R 3,273

$205 R 3,305

-0.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,386 R 22.3K

$4,585 R 73.8K

-69.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.43 R 796

$42.86 R 690

15.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.11 R 533

$29.83 R 480

11.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 R 1,434

$92.7 R 1,493

-3.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 R 1,263

$73.7 R 1,186

6.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R 5,803

$373 R 6,001

-3.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R 3,893

$366 R 5,889

-33.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.1K

$746 R 12.0K

-7.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 R 7,380

$583 R 9,379

-21.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$286 R 4,597

$958 R 15.4K

-70.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$152 R 2,447

$722 R 11.6K

-78.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,725 R 27.8K

$1,292 R 20.8K

33.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.51

12.01

-4.16%

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

Last update for Emalahleni: March 1, 2026

Last update for Durban: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China