Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Howick and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Howick: $1,081 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Howick
Learn more

Howick Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index

Jump to prices

Howick

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,081

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,081 per month in Howick vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Howick $1,081
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $1,676 per month in Howick vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Howick $1,676
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $2,271 per month in Howick vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Howick $2,271
Durban $2,366

Howick is about 4% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Howick and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Howick 21% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.03 R 133

$7.93 R 132

1.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.85 R 645

$39.14 R 650

-0.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.50 R 91.3

$6.15 R 102

-10.57%

Cappuccino

$2.66 R 44.23

$2.73 R 45.38

-2.56%

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

$1.09 R 18.19

$1.12 R 18.52

-2.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.32

$0.91 R 15.17

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 R 39.69

$2.43 R 40.35

-1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 R 41.80

$2.48 R 41.26

1.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 R 20.08

$1.17 R 19.45

3.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.30

$1.01 R 16.70

-2.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.92

$1.50 R 24.88

4.00%

Eggs

$2.34 R 38.88

$2.43 R 40.36

-3.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.23 R 137

$8.22 R 136

0.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 R 87.7

$5.32 R 88.3

-0.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 R 120

$7.28 R 121

-1.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 R 33.03

$1.95 R 32.34

2.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.24

$1.95 R 32.35

-3.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 R 31.86

$1.94 R 32.24

-1.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.22

$1.65 R 27.33

3.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.55 R 25.73

-3.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.33

$1.46 R 24.24

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.17

$1.17 R 19.35

3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.78

$1.14 R 18.90

4.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.68 R 61.1

$3.64 R 60.5

1.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.84 R 80.4

$4.73 R 78.6

2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R 24.15

$1.41 R 23.35

2.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 31.23

$1.89 R 31.47

-0.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.54 R 25.52

$1.79 R 29.68

-13.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 354

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 R 7.49

$0.41 R 6.76

9.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 R 12.41

$0.76 R 12.55

-1.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.56 R 126

$7.72 R 128

-2.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.68

$1.49 R 24.75

-8.05%

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

$36.1K R 600.3K

$35.5K R 589.5K

1.83%

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

$33.1K R 550.2K

$32.3K R 536.8K

2.49%

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

$150 R 2,491

$148 R 2,452

1.58%

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

$15.25 R 253

$35.49 R 590

-57.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.18 R 667

$39.45 R 655

1.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.93 R 530

$31.01 R 515

2.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 183

$8.61 R 143

27.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.09 R 118

$7.39 R 123

-4.06%

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

$309 R 5,141

$317 R 5,257

-2.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,814 R 129.8K

$7,714 R 128.1K

1.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.1 R 899

$53.2 R 884

1.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.61 R 508

$30.50 R 507

0.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 R 1,636

$99.1 R 1,645

-0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,400

$85.0 R 1,412

-0.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R 6,567

$445 R 7,390

-11.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 R 6,078

$374 R 6,220

-2.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 R 12.2K

$814 R 13.5K

-9.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$734 R 12.2K

$744 R 12.4K

-1.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$868 R 14.4K

$820 R 13.6K

5.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$675 R 11.2K

$565 R 9,389

19.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

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

Last update for Howick: October 25, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Howick

$366 33.9%

Durban

$374 33.1% 2.3% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Howick

$205 19%

Durban

$223 19.7% 8.4% $17

Groceries & Markets

Howick

$195 18%

Durban

$194 17.2% 0.4% $0.7

Eating Out

Howick

$138 12.8%

Durban

$140 12.4% 1.6% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Howick

$120 11.1%

Durban

$121 10.7% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Howick

$46 4.3%

Durban

$46 4.1% 0.7% $0.3

Getting Around

Howick

$10 * 1%

Durban

$33 2.9% 216% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $395 in Howick versus $445 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 $39 in Howick versus $39 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $195 in Howick vs $194 in Durban – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Howick

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

Same time as Howick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,453

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Howick Durban 87 km

From you

Howick
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

Howick vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,621 per month in Howick and $1,695 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Howick, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $445 in Durban.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,081 in Howick and $1,130 in Durban. That makes Howick about 4% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $309 per month in Howick and $317 in Durban. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,081 in Howick and $1,130 in Durban, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Durban has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,081 in Howick to $1,130 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.