Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Johannesburg and Durbanville

For one person, living is cheaper in Durbanville: $1,153 a month against $1,410 in Johannesburg, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Johannesburg
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Johannesburg Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durbanville
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Durbanville Living Index

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Johannesburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,410

/mo nomad

Durbanville

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,153

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Johannesburg and in Durbanville

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

A single person spends $1,410 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,153 in Durbanville, rent included.

Johannesburg $1,410
Durbanville $1,153

A couple spends around $2,182 per month in Johannesburg vs $1,834 in Durbanville, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,182
Durbanville $1,834

A family of three spends $2,954 per month in Johannesburg vs $2,516 in Durbanville, rent included.

Johannesburg $2,954
Durbanville $2,516

Johannesburg costs about 22% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Johannesburg sits 4% above the global median, while Durbanville is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.92 R 199

$12.29 R 205

-3.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.33 R 739

$46.72 R 778

-5.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 R 124

$6.00 R 100.0

23.67%

Cappuccino

$2.39 R 39.81

$2.46 R 41.00

-2.85%

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

$1.21 R 20.22

$0.94 R 15.71

28.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.94

$0.63 R 10.55

52.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.37

$2.40 R 40.01

0.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 R 44.42

$2.80 R 46.60

-4.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 R 21.55

$1.33 R 22.11

-3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.90

$1.23 R 20.42

-3.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.41

$2.16 R 36.04

-21.30%

Eggs

$2.75 R 45.83

$3.24 R 54.0

-15.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 145

$8.97 R 149

-3.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 R 92.7

$6.85 R 114

-18.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.92 R 149

$9.69 R 161

-7.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.64

$1.91 R 31.79

8.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.18

$1.92 R 32.07

-5.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.87

$1.77 R 29.49

-2.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$2.16 R 36.06

-2.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.39

$1.55 R 25.76

9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.75

$1.49 R 24.81

20.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.83

$1.30 R 21.69

14.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R 20.56

$1.15 R 19.21

6.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.48 R 58.1

$3.58 R 59.6

-2.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.10 R 102

$5.95 R 99.1

2.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.86 R 31.05

$1.41 R 23.49

31.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 R 39.98

$2.19 R 36.53

9.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.74

$1.54 R 25.60

15.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.0 R 1,484

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 R 13.54

$0.59 R 9.81

37.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R 14.47

$1.53 R 25.52

-43.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.32 R 239

$5.12 R 85.3

179.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.47

$1.61 R 26.78

-4.97%

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

$35.5K R 591.0K

$35.5K R 591.6K

-0.10%

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

$34.0K R 566.8K

$34.4K R 572.5K

-0.99%

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

$224 R 3,727

$116 R 1,931

92.97%

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

$39.12 R 652

$29.03 R 484

34.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.93 R 615

$40.89 R 681

-9.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.49 R 591

$31.91 R 532

11.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.43 R 290

$10.78 R 180

61.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.29 R 138

$9.19 R 153

-9.79%

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

$240 R 3,996

$266 R 4,435

-9.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,471 R 91.2K

$6,797 R 113.3K

-19.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.0 R 966

$55.6 R 927

4.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.96 R 749

$32.11 R 535

40.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,855

$120 R 2,000

-7.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 R 1,875

$107 R 1,787

4.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 R 8,770

$390 R 6,506

34.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$419 R 6,990

$364 R 6,073

15.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$735 R 12.2K

49.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$885 R 14.7K

$732 R 12.2K

20.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,035 R 17.3K

$866 R 14.4K

19.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$734 R 12.2K

$683 R 11.4K

7.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,709 R 28.5K

$1,033 R 17.2K

65.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

10.97

-0.55%

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

Last update for Johannesburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Durbanville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Johannesburg

$419 29.8%

Durbanville

$364 31.6% 13.1% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Johannesburg

$300 21.3%

Durbanville

$186 16.1% 38% $114

Groceries & Markets

Johannesburg

$218 15.5%

Durbanville

$226 19.6% 3.9% $8.5

Eating Out

Johannesburg

$172 12.2%

Durbanville

$170 14.7% 1.6% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Johannesburg

$147 10.4%

Durbanville

$142 12.3% 3.6% $5.3

Getting Around

Johannesburg

$101 7.2%

Durbanville

$14 * 1.3% 85.8% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Johannesburg

$52 3.7%

Durbanville

$50 4.4% 3.4% $1.8

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Johannesburg versus $390 in Durbanville. 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 65% higher in Johannesburg. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Johannesburg versus $47 in Durbanville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $226 – making Johannesburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Johannesburg

🇿🇦 Durbanville

🕒 Local time

14:01 2:01 PM

Same time as Johannesburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,434,827

40,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Johannesburg Durbanville 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Johannesburg
Durbanville

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

Johannesburg vs Durbanville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Johannesburg costs about 22% more than Durbanville, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,115 per month in Johannesburg and $1,729 in Durbanville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durbanville, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $526 in Johannesburg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,410 in Johannesburg and $1,153 in Durbanville. That’s a gap of about 22%.

Kindergarten costs $240 per month in Johannesburg and $266 in Durbanville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,410 in Johannesburg and $1,153 in Durbanville. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Johannesburg has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,153 in Durbanville to $1,410 in Johannesburg. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Durbanville. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Johannesburg makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.