Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hillcrest and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Hillcrest: $1,081 a month against $1,120 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Hillcrest
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Hillcrest Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Hillcrest

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hillcrest 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 Hillcrest and in Durban actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,081 per month in Hillcrest vs $1,120 in Durban, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,081
Durban $1,120

A couple spends around $1,686 per month in Hillcrest vs $1,725 in Durban, rent included.

Hillcrest $1,686
Durban $1,725

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Hillcrest vs $2,330 in Durban, rent included.

Hillcrest $2,292
Durban $2,330

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

Both Hillcrest and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Hillcrest 20% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.87 R 131

$8.55 R 142

-7.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.34 R 636

$36.80 R 611

4.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.01 R 99.7

$6.05 R 100

-0.66%

Cappuccino

$2.71 R 45.03

$2.66 R 44.16

1.88%

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

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.06 R 17.63

7.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.88

$0.84 R 13.91

7.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.68

$2.43 R 40.37

0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 R 41.51

$2.44 R 40.52

2.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.50

$1.19 R 19.69

-0.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.31

$0.96 R 15.98

2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.86

$1.49 R 24.76

0.67%

Eggs

$2.32 R 38.53

$2.26 R 37.42

2.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R 136

$8.09 R 134

1.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.05 R 83.7

$5.00 R 82.9

1.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.27 R 121

$7.56 R 125

-3.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 R 21.46

$1.98 R 32.89

-34.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.95

$1.94 R 32.21

-0.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.29

$1.93 R 32.04

1.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.75

$1.63 R 27.05

6.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.26

$1.44 R 23.83

1.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.94

$1.37 R 22.67

5.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 19.99

$1.21 R 20.07

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.92

$1.18 R 19.57

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$3.52 R 58.4

5.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 79.6

$4.74 R 78.7

1.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R 23.36

$1.48 R 24.52

-4.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.55

$1.94 R 32.20

1.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.47

$1.77 R 29.37

-12.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.91 R 363

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 R 7.22

$0.40 R 6.66

10.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.74

$0.71 R 11.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 R 128

$7.77 R 129

-0.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.11

$1.51 R 25.09

-3.97%

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

$35.2K R 584.1K

$35.9K R 595.0K

-1.83%

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

$33.1K R 548.4K

$33.4K R 554.2K

-1.04%

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

$153 R 2,539

$147 R 2,443

3.93%

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

$35.61 R 591

$38.50 R 639

-7.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.04 R 648

$37.93 R 629

2.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.00 R 547

$30.24 R 502

9.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.55 R 225

$9.01 R 149

50.39%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 121

$7.26 R 120

0.41%

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

$310 R 5,149

$309 R 5,131

0.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 R 123.3K

$7,433 R 123.3K

-0.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.6 R 856

$52.6 R 873

-1.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.96 R 464

$27.16 R 451

2.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.0 R 1,608

$95.8 R 1,589

1.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 R 1,313

$81.9 R 1,358

-3.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 R 6,248

$424 R 7,041

-11.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,850

$367 R 6,084

-3.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 R 10.6K

$785 R 13.0K

-18.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.1K

$724 R 12.0K

1.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.7K

$836 R 13.9K

-8.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 R 9,536

$575 R 9,546

-0.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 R 21.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

11.7

0.68%

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

Last update for Hillcrest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Durban: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hillcrest

$353 32.6%

Durban

$367 32.8% 4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hillcrest

$228 21.1%

Durban

$224 20% 1.8% $4

Groceries & Markets

Hillcrest

$189 17.5%

Durban

$193 17.2% 1.8% $3.4

Eating Out

Hillcrest

$139 12.9%

Durban

$143 12.8% 3% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Hillcrest

$115 10.6%

Durban

$116 10.3% 0.7% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Hillcrest

$48 4.4%

Durban

$45 4% 5.9% $2.8

Getting Around

Hillcrest

$10 * 0.9%

Durban

$33 2.9% 226% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $377 in Hillcrest versus $424 in Durban. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest versus $37 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Hillcrest vs $193 in Durban – so Hillcrest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hillcrest

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

10:33 10:33 AM

Same time as Hillcrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Hillcrest Durban 25 km

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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

Hillcrest vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,622 per month in Hillcrest and $1,680 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hillcrest, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $424 in Durban.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Hillcrest and $37 in Durban. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $310 per month in Hillcrest and $309 in Durban. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,081 in Hillcrest and $1,120 in Durban, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Hillcrest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,081 in Hillcrest to $1,120 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.