Cost of Living Comparison Between Grahamstown and Durban Cost of Living Comparison Between Grahamstown and Durban

😐 Solo nomad: Grahamstown is 3.5% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 7.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Grahamstown is 3.1% cheaper than Durban without rent, and 5.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Grahamstown
Durban
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.79 R 156
$7.41 R 132
18.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.48 R 595
$28.47 R 506
17.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.98 R 88.5
$5.16 R 91.8
-3.49%
Cappuccino
$2.12 R 37.76
$1.91 R 33.89
10.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 R 18.22
$0.89 R 15.76
14.61%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 R 14.62
$0.71 R 12.66
15.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.29 R 40.71
$1.91 R 33.96
19.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 R 44.58
$2.26 R 40.21
11.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Grahamstown
Durban
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 R 20.29
$1.04 R 18.52
9.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 R 18.63
$0.99 R 17.52
6.06%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.55 R 27.65
$1.43 R 25.37
8.39%
Eggs
$2.38 R 42.4
$2.09 R 37.22
13.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.49 R 133
$7.16 R 127
4.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.48 R 79.7
$4.59 R 81.6
-2.40%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.78 R 121
$6.44 R 115
5.28%
Apples (1kg)
$1.68 R 29.83
$1.57 R 27.97
7.01%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.18
$1.43 R 25.37
2.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.54 R 27.33
$1.38 R 24.55
11.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.65 R 29.42
$1.35 R 24.05
22.22%
Potato (1kg)
$1.37 R 24.42
$1.26 R 22.46
8.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.23 R 21.84
$1.18 R 20.93
4.24%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 R 18.76
$0.97 R 17.27
8.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 R 16.31
$0.97 R 17.28
-5.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.88 R 51.3
$3.12 R 55.4
-7.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.7 R 83.6
$4.86 R 86.4
-3.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.46
$1.46 R 25.95
-5.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.7 R 30.16
$1.77 R 31.41
-3.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Grahamstown
Durban
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.67 R 29.71
$1.52 R 26.95
9.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$37.96 R 675
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.6
$1.71 R 30.49
-35.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 R 17.09
$0.63 R 11.19
52.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.94 R 70.1
$6.64 R 118
-40.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 R 21.77
$1.33 R 23.67
-8.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K R 375.2K
$19.9K R 353.8K
6.05%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K R 423.1K
$24.1K R 427.9K
-1.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Grahamstown
Durban
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 R 2,070
$145 R 2,570
-19.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$34.92 R 621
$29.28 R 521
19.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.03 R 730
$33.11 R 589
23.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Grahamstown
Durban
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.6 R 544
$34.25 R 609
-10.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$9.32 R 166
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.61 R 118
$6.54 R 116
1.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Grahamstown
Durban
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 R 3,553
$205 R 3,650
-2.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,277 R 76.1K
$4,650 R 82.7K
-8.02%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Grahamstown
Durban
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.5 R 898
$41.7 R 742
21.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.66 R 581
$29.7 R 528
9.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88 R 1,564
$94.8 R 1,686
-7.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.1 R 1,443
$72.3 R 1,286
12.21%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Grahamstown
Durban
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$360 R 6,395
$379 R 6,742
-5.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$330 R 5,861
$364 R 6,471
-9.43%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$683 R 12.2K
$738 R 13.1K
-7.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$692 R 12.3K
$585 R 10.4K
18.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$732 R 13K
$881 R 15.7K
-16.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$607 R 10.8K
$1,107 R 19.7K
-45.17%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Grahamstown
Durban
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,151 R 20.5K
$1,183 R 21K
-2.76%
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 Grahamstown: October 28, 2025

Last update for Durban: October 29, 2025

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