Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Durban Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Durban

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 17.9% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 12.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 22.1% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 19.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.08 R 181

$7.74 R 126

43.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.69 R 747

$28.50 R 466

60.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 R 80.8

$5.10 R 83.3

-2.94%

Cappuccino

$2.23 R 36.44

$2.00 R 32.71

11.50%

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

$1.00 R 16.31

$0.89 R 14.55

12.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 R 13.14

$0.70 R 11.48

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 R 43.10

$1.99 R 32.45

32.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 40.11

$2.18 R 35.64

12.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 19.68

$1.04 R 17.03

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 R 17.10

$0.95 R 15.58

10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.68

$1.47 R 23.96

10.88%

Eggs

$2.56 R 41.83

$2.19 R 35.81

16.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 R 138

$7.41 R 121

14.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.81 R 78.6

$4.40 R 72.0

9.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 R 109

$6.33 R 103

5.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.52

$1.57 R 25.60

3.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.80

$1.41 R 23.06

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.06

$1.33 R 21.68

15.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.21

$1.31 R 21.36

22.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.37

$1.32 R 21.58

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 22.95

$1.17 R 19.13

19.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 17.67

$0.98 R 16.06

10.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.62

$0.94 R 15.41

-5.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 51.4

$3.16 R 51.6

-0.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 99.0

$4.83 R 79.0

25.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.21

$1.41 R 23.10

-3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 R 27.02

$1.68 R 27.44

-1.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 R 27.84

$1.51 R 24.63

12.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.1 R 1,162

$38.66 R 632

83.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 R 18.72

$1.73 R 28.23

-33.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.65

$0.61 R 10.03

47.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 R 65.5

$6.82 R 111

-41.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R 20.89

$1.34 R 21.83

-4.48%

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

$22.5K R 367.0K

$19.9K R 324.5K

13.10%

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

$23.7K R 387.8K

$24.2K R 394.9K

-1.80%

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

$118 R 1,926

$142 R 2,328

-17.27%

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

$40.87 R 668

$28.88 R 472

41.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.16 R 705

$33.20 R 543

30.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.37 R 562

$34.47 R 563

-0.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.89 R 227

$9.00 R 147

54.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 119

$6.83 R 112

6.73%

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

$208 R 3,406

$205 R 3,354

1.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,878 R 79.7K

$4,585 R 74.9K

6.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 R 833

$42.86 R 700

18.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.10 R 557

$29.83 R 487

14.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 R 1,465

$92.7 R 1,515

-3.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 R 1,306

$73.7 R 1,204

8.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 R 6,780

$373 R 6,090

11.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,058

$366 R 5,977

1.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 R 14.8K

$746 R 12.2K

21.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 R 11.4K

$583 R 9,519

19.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,061 R 17.3K

$958 R 15.7K

10.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$770 R 12.6K

$722 R 11.8K

6.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,669 R 27.3K

$1,292 R 21.1K

29.13%

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 Johannesburg: February 28, 2026

Last update for Durban: March 1, 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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