Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Midrand and Durban

For one person, living costs are similar in Midrand and in Durban: $1,097 and $1,130 a month, rent and utilities included.

53

Cost of Living Index in Midrand
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Midrand Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Midrand

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,097

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,097 per month in Midrand vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Midrand $1,097
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $1,641 per month in Midrand vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Midrand $1,641
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $2,185 per month in Midrand vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Midrand $2,185
Durban $2,366

Midrand is about 3% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Midrand and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Midrand 19% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.71 R 95.1

$7.93 R 132

-27.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.15 R 502

$39.14 R 652

-22.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.12 R 52.0

$6.15 R 103

-49.27%

Cappuccino

$1.78 R 29.64

$2.73 R 45.52

-34.80%

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

$1.23 R 20.45

$1.12 R 18.58

9.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.35

$0.91 R 15.22

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.37 R 39.41

$2.43 R 40.48

-2.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 R 39.88

$2.48 R 41.39

-3.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.21

$1.17 R 19.51

13.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.90

$1.01 R 16.75

17.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 R 21.79

$1.50 R 24.96

-12.67%

Eggs

$2.80 R 46.64

$2.43 R 40.49

15.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 151

$8.22 R 137

10.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.55 R 92.5

$5.32 R 88.6

4.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.05 R 151

$7.28 R 121

24.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.67

$1.95 R 32.45

3.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 R 18.11

$1.95 R 32.45

-44.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 29.24

$1.94 R 32.35

-9.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.83

$1.65 R 27.42

-9.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.65

$1.55 R 25.81

10.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.78

$1.46 R 24.32

26.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.53

$1.17 R 19.41

5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.24

$1.14 R 18.96

11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 R 54.9

$3.64 R 60.7

-9.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 R 90.3

$4.73 R 78.9

14.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.68

$1.41 R 23.42

-33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 R 20.70

$1.89 R 31.57

-34.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 25.07

$1.79 R 29.78

-16.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 R 13.84

$0.41 R 6.78

102.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 R 9.68

$0.76 R 12.59

-23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 245

$7.72 R 129

90.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 24.29

$1.49 R 24.83

-2.01%

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

$34.4K R 572.5K

$35.5K R 591.4K

-3.20%

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

$30.3K R 504.1K

$32.3K R 538.6K

-6.40%

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

$108 R 1,798

$148 R 2,460

-26.90%

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

$24.41 R 407

$35.49 R 591

-31.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.64 R 627

$39.45 R 657

-4.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 R 538

$31.01 R 517

4.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.71 R 178

$8.61 R 143

24.39%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 R 145

$7.39 R 123

18.13%

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

$183 R 3,054

$317 R 5,274

-42.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,471 R 91.2K

$7,714 R 128.5K

-29.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.3 R 987

$53.2 R 887

11.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.72 R 762

$30.50 R 508

49.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 R 1,405

$99.1 R 1,651

-14.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.2 R 1,403

$85.0 R 1,417

-0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,205

$445 R 7,414

10.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 R 7,341

$374 R 6,240

17.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 R 13.9K

$814 R 13.6K

2.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$758 R 12.6K

$744 R 12.4K

1.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$867 R 14.4K

$820 R 13.7K

5.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$694 R 11.6K

$565 R 9,419

22.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.78

-7.39%

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

Last update for Midrand: October 26, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Midrand

$441 40.2%

Durban

$374 33.1% 15% $66

Groceries & Markets

Midrand

$202 18.4%

Durban

$194 17.2% 3.9% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Midrand

$170 15.5%

Durban

$223 19.7% 30.9% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Midrand

$123 11.2%

Durban

$121 10.7% 2.1% $2.6

Eating Out

Midrand

$102 9.3%

Durban

$140 12.4% 37.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Midrand

$50 4.5%

Durban

$46 4.1% 7.9% $3.9

Getting Around

Midrand

$9.8 * 0.9%

Durban

$33 2.9% 235% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $492 in Midrand 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 $30 in Midrand versus $39 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $202 in Midrand vs $194 in Durban – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Midrand

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

Same time as Midrand

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

87,387

3,442,361

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Midrand Durban 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Midrand
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

Midrand vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,645 per month in Midrand 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 Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $492 in Midrand.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Midrand and $39 in Durban. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Durban – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,097 in Midrand 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 $1,097 in Midrand to $1,130 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.