Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mossel Bay and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Mossel Bay: $1,094 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $430 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

52

Cost of Living Index in Mossel Bay
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Mossel Bay Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,094

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,094 per month in Mossel Bay vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Mossel Bay $1,094
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $1,720 per month in Mossel Bay vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Mossel Bay $1,720
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $2,346 per month in Mossel Bay vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Mossel Bay $2,346
Durban $2,366

Mossel Bay is about 3% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Mossel Bay and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Mossel Bay 20% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.39 R 239

$7.93 R 132

81.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.69 R 809

$39.14 R 650

24.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.51 R 141

$6.15 R 102

38.37%

Cappuccino

$2.56 R 42.59

$2.73 R 45.37

-6.23%

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

$1.39 R 23.08

$1.12 R 18.52

24.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.72

$0.91 R 15.16

4.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.62

$2.43 R 40.33

0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 R 49.40

$2.48 R 41.25

19.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R 18.19

$1.17 R 19.44

-5.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.84

$1.01 R 16.69

5.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 R 44.51

$1.50 R 24.88

78.67%

Eggs

$3.14 R 52.1

$2.43 R 40.35

29.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 R 158

$8.22 R 136

16.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.28 R 87.7

$5.32 R 88.3

-0.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.90 R 131

$7.28 R 121

8.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.17

$1.95 R 32.33

-0.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 R 21.83

$1.95 R 32.34

-32.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.58

$1.94 R 32.23

-8.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 R 33.62

$1.65 R 27.32

22.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 R 24.01

$1.55 R 25.72

-6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.17

$1.46 R 24.23

16.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 R 20.13

$1.17 R 19.35

3.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.21

$1.14 R 18.90

7.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.7

$3.64 R 60.5

1.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.92 R 81.7

$4.73 R 78.6

4.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 R 34.16

$1.41 R 23.34

46.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 R 30.97

$1.89 R 31.46

-1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.70

$1.79 R 29.68

-23.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 354

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.22

$0.41 R 6.76

51.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.72

$0.76 R 12.55

17.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.37 R 189

$7.72 R 128

47.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.86

$1.49 R 24.75

-3.36%

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

$28.6K R 475.0K

$35.5K R 589.3K

-19.40%

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

$27.1K R 449.4K

$32.3K R 536.7K

-16.27%

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

$109 R 1,804

$148 R 2,452

-26.40%

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

$17.95 R 298

$35.49 R 589

-49.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.87 R 712

$39.45 R 655

8.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.03 R 349

$31.01 R 515

-32.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.91 R 181

$8.61 R 143

26.71%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$7.39 R 123

-2.84%

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

$275 R 4,572

$317 R 5,256

-13.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 R 89.7K

$7,714 R 128.1K

-29.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.97 R 797

$53.2 R 884

-9.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.02 R 349

$30.50 R 506

-31.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 R 1,638

$99.1 R 1,645

-0.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 R 1,105

$85.0 R 1,412

-21.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 R 8,348

$445 R 7,388

12.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 6,049

$374 R 6,218

-2.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,033 R 17.2K

$814 R 13.5K

26.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 R 11.4K

$744 R 12.4K

-7.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$597 R 9,910

$820 R 13.6K

-27.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$610 R 10.1K

$565 R 9,386

7.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,505 R 25.0K

$1,280 R 21.2K

17.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.75

11.78

-0.25%

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

Last update for Mossel Bay: October 27, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mossel Bay

$364 33.3%

Durban

$374 33.1% 2.8% $10

Groceries & Markets

Mossel Bay

$210 19.2%

Durban

$194 17.2% 7.4% $15

Eating Out

Mossel Bay

$199 18.2%

Durban

$140 12.4% 29.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mossel Bay

$169 15.5%

Durban

$223 19.7% 31.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Mossel Bay

$105 9.6%

Durban

$121 10.7% 14.4% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Mossel Bay

$35 3.2%

Durban

$46 4.1% 29.4% $10

Getting Around

Mossel Bay

$11 * 1%

Durban

$33 2.9% 211% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $503 in Mossel Bay 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.

Salaries run about 18% higher in Mossel Bay, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Mossel Bay versus $39 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $210 vs $194 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Mossel Bay

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

08:46 8:46 AM

Same time as Mossel Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

60,000

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Mossel Bay Durban 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Mossel Bay
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

Mossel Bay 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 transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,640 per month in Mossel Bay 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 $503 in Mossel Bay.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Mossel Bay 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 7% cheaper in Durban – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,094 in Mossel Bay 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 $1,094 in Mossel Bay to $1,130 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.