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

😐 Solo nomad: Emalahleni is 43.1% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Emalahleni is 40.2% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 11.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.18 R 183

$7.58 R 124

47.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.51 R 730

$28.09 R 461

58.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.85 R 79.6

$5.16 R 84.7

-6.01%

Cappuccino

$2.16 R 35.38

$1.90 R 31.13

13.68%

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

$0.99 R 16.29

$0.89 R 14.55

11.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.71

$0.67 R 10.91

16.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.17

$1.91 R 31.28

40.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 40.14

$2.26 R 36.99

8.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 19.69

$1.04 R 17.13

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 R 15.65

$0.96 R 15.78

-1.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.28

$1.47 R 24.04

12.93%

Eggs

$1.98 R 32.53

$2.12 R 34.82

-6.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.02 R 132

$7.16 R 117

12.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.00 R 65.7

$4.50 R 73.7

-11.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.68 R 93.2

$6.39 R 105

-11.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.41 R 23.13

$1.55 R 25.37

-9.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 R 22.72

$1.43 R 23.48

-2.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.32

$1.31 R 21.55

8.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 R 22.37

$1.29 R 21.21

5.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.45

$1.26 R 20.73

13.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 R 15.15

$1.17 R 19.24

-21.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 R 17.82

$1.02 R 16.81

6.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.77

$0.98 R 16.00

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 R 45.60

$3.00 R 49.18

-7.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$4.92 R 80.7

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R 20.27

$1.47 R 24.05

-15.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 R 25.05

$1.76 R 28.91

-13.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.44 R 40.05

$1.56 R 25.56

56.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$116 R 1,896

$38.63 R 634

199.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 R 11.50

$1.72 R 28.21

-59.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 R 15.84

$0.62 R 10.11

56.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 R 64.7

$6.91 R 113

-42.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R 20.33

$1.28 R 21.05

-3.13%

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

$22.7K R 371.7K

$19.9K R 326.3K

13.91%

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

$23.9K R 391.5K

$24.6K R 404.2K

-3.13%

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

$113 R 1,852

$146 R 2,388

-22.44%

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

$41.04 R 673

$29.74 R 488

38.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.55 R 698

$33.15 R 544

28.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.95 R 557

$33.96 R 557

-0.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.76 R 373

$9.08 R 149

150.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 R 92.9

$6.83 R 112

-17.13%

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

$209 R 3,427

$207 R 3,392

1.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,383 R 22.7K

$4,516 R 74.1K

-69.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.76 R 816

$41.50 R 681

19.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.03 R 558

$30.01 R 492

13.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 R 1,460

$96.2 R 1,577

-7.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.3 R 1,300

$72.4 R 1,187

9.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$360 R 5,896

$370 R 6,075

-2.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 R 4,037

$371 R 6,085

-33.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 R 11.4K

$736 R 12.1K

-5.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 R 7,424

$582 R 9,544

-22.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$279 R 4,570

$934 R 15.3K

-70.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$154 R 2,527

$702 R 11.5K

-78.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,697 R 27.8K

$1,272 R 20.9K

33.42%

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Durban: January 10, 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

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