Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grahamstown and Durban

For one person, living costs are similar in Grahamstown and in Durban: $1,121 and $1,150 a month, rent and utilities included.

54

Cost of Living Index in Grahamstown
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Grahamstown Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Grahamstown

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,121

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Grahamstown and in Durban

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

A single person spends $1,121 per month in Grahamstown vs $1,150 in Durban, rent included.

Grahamstown $1,121
Durban $1,150

A couple spends around $1,757 per month in Grahamstown vs $1,777 in Durban, rent included.

Grahamstown $1,757
Durban $1,777

A family of three spends $2,392 per month in Grahamstown vs $2,404 in Durban, rent included.

Grahamstown $2,392
Durban $2,404

Grahamstown is about 3% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Grahamstown and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Grahamstown 17% lower, Durban 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.85 R 179

$7.84 R 129

38.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.03 R 692

$38.75 R 638

8.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.06 R 99.9

$5.87 R 96.7

3.24%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R 35.03

$2.63 R 43.30

-19.01%

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

$1.04 R 17.21

$1.08 R 17.85

-3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.94

$0.89 R 14.72

-19.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 R 45.45

$2.37 R 38.99

16.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 R 50.6

$2.62 R 43.10

17.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.45

$1.23 R 20.33

-8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.57

$0.99 R 16.23

2.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.86

$1.50 R 24.71

-3.33%

Eggs

$2.82 R 46.40

$2.34 R 38.58

20.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.78 R 145

$8.10 R 133

8.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.25 R 86.5

$5.09 R 83.8

3.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.51 R 140

$7.48 R 123

13.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 R 36.07

$1.93 R 31.78

13.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.17

$1.90 R 31.36

-22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.91

$1.91 R 31.42

-11.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.34

$1.64 R 27.09

4.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.50

$1.49 R 24.61

12.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.55

$1.40 R 23.11

-2.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.36

$1.17 R 19.33

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 R 16.73

$1.14 R 18.84

-10.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 R 52.7

$3.64 R 60.0

-12.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.68 R 77.1

$4.75 R 78.2

-1.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.02

$1.41 R 23.27

-13.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 R 29.34

$1.85 R 30.45

-3.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.32

$1.80 R 29.63

-14.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.77 R 359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.13

$0.40 R 6.60

55.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 R 7.72

$0.76 R 12.47

-38.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.17 R 135

$7.53 R 124

8.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.07

$1.55 R 25.52

-9.68%

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

$35.0K R 576.1K

$35.0K R 577.2K

-0.20%

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

$32.8K R 540.0K

$31.3K R 515.5K

4.76%

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

$120 R 1,983

$148 R 2,435

-18.57%

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

$34.81 R 574

$35.20 R 580

-1.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.20 R 728

$38.95 R 642

13.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.55 R 520

$31.79 R 524

-0.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.55 R 174

$9.10 R 150

15.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 R 175

$7.32 R 121

44.81%

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

$175 R 2,891

$312 R 5,143

-43.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,834 R 79.6K

$7,555 R 124.5K

-36.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,178

$55.0 R 905

30.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.90 R 608

$30.90 R 509

19.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,803

$100 R 1,648

9.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.3 R 1,553

$84.3 R 1,389

11.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$394 R 6,497

$463 R 7,621

-14.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 R 6,038

$398 R 6,555

-7.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$726 R 12.0K

$818 R 13.5K

-11.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 R 11.9K

$789 R 13.0K

-8.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$874 R 14.4K

$878 R 14.5K

-0.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$646 R 10.6K

$580 R 9,557

11.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,164 R 19.2K

$1,271 R 20.9K

-8.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

11.78

1.36%

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

Last update for Grahamstown: October 11, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grahamstown

$366 32.7%

Durban

$398 34.6% 8.6% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grahamstown

$199 17.8%

Durban

$222 19.3% 11.3% $23

Groceries & Markets

Grahamstown

$196 17.5%

Durban

$193 16.7% 1.6% $3.1

Eating Out

Grahamstown

$158 14.1%

Durban

$137 11.9% 13.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Grahamstown

$140 12.5%

Durban

$122 10.6% 13.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Grahamstown

$53 4.7%

Durban

$46 4% 12% $6.3

Getting Around

Grahamstown

$9.1 * 0.8%

Durban

$33 2.9% 264% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $394 in Grahamstown versus $463 in Durban. 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 9% higher in Durban, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Grahamstown versus $39.00 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $193 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Grahamstown

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

Same time as Grahamstown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,264

3,442,361

💱 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

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Between locations

Grahamstown Durban 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Grahamstown
Durban

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

Grahamstown vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,682 per month in Grahamstown and $1,726 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Grahamstown, 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 $42.00 in Grahamstown and $39.00 in Durban. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Durban – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Grahamstown, where all-in costs run around $1,121, than in Durban at $1,150. In Grahamstown it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Grahamstown – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Grahamstown. 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.