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

😐 Solo nomad: Johannesburg is 22.7% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 9.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Johannesburg is 24.8% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 18.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Johannesburg
Durban
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.4 R 203
$7.41 R 132
53.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.89 R 798
$28.47 R 506
57.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.98 R 88.7
$5.16 R 91.8
-3.49%
Cappuccino
$2.18 R 38.8
$1.91 R 33.89
14.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 18.45
$0.89 R 15.76
16.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.39
$0.71 R 12.66
5.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.7 R 48.05
$1.91 R 33.96
41.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 45.29
$2.26 R 40.21
12.83%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Johannesburg
Durban
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.2 R 21.39
$1.04 R 18.52
15.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.1 R 19.5
$0.99 R 17.52
11.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.72 R 30.51
$1.43 R 25.37
20.28%
Eggs
$2.47 R 43.92
$2.09 R 37.22
18.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.04 R 143
$7.16 R 127
12.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.91 R 87.4
$4.59 R 81.6
6.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.75 R 120
$6.44 R 115
4.81%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 R 30.11
$1.57 R 27.97
7.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.53 R 27.16
$1.43 R 25.37
6.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.22
$1.38 R 24.55
6.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.14
$1.35 R 24.05
17.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.45 R 25.8
$1.26 R 22.46
15.08%
Onion (1kg)
$1.39 R 24.78
$1.18 R 20.93
17.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 R 18.64
$0.97 R 17.27
8.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 R 16.87
$0.97 R 17.28
-2.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 R 54.1
$3.12 R 55.4
-2.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.99 R 107
$4.86 R 86.4
23.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.46 R 25.95
-10.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 R 29.74
$1.77 R 31.41
-5.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Johannesburg
Durban
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.7 R 30.26
$1.52 R 26.95
11.84%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$71.1 R 1,265
$37.96 R 675
87.38%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.48
$1.71 R 30.49
-35.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 R 16.73
$0.63 R 11.19
49.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.1 R 72.9
$6.64 R 118
-38.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R 21.58
$1.33 R 23.67
-9.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.3K R 396.4K
$19.9K R 353.8K
12.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.4K R 433.4K
$24.1K R 427.9K
1.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Johannesburg
Durban
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$116 R 2,069
$145 R 2,570
-19.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.29 R 717
$29.28 R 521
37.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.05 R 748
$33.11 R 589
27.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Johannesburg
Durban
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.62 R 616
$34.25 R 609
1.08%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.93 R 248
$9.32 R 166
49.46%
Cinema Ticket
$7.23 R 129
$6.54 R 116
10.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Johannesburg
Durban
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$206 R 3,665
$205 R 3,650
0.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,981 R 88.6K
$4,650 R 82.7K
7.12%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Johannesburg
Durban
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.6 R 899
$41.7 R 742
21.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.58 R 597
$29.7 R 528
13.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.2 R 1,621
$94.8 R 1,686
-3.81%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 R 1,397
$72.3 R 1,286
8.63%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Johannesburg
Durban
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$423 R 7,519
$379 R 6,742
11.53%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,592
$364 R 6,471
1.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$901 R 16K
$738 R 13.1K
22.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$692 R 12.3K
$585 R 10.4K
18.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,111 R 19.8K
$881 R 15.7K
26.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$748 R 13.3K
$1,107 R 19.7K
-32.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Johannesburg
Durban
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,585 R 28.2K
$1,183 R 21K
33.97%
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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Durban: October 29, 2025

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