Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newcastle, South Africa and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Newcastle: $1,020 a month against $1,120 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle
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Newcastle Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Newcastle

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,020

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Newcastle vs $1,120 in Durban, rent included.

Newcastle $1,020
Durban $1,120

A couple spends around $1,627 per month in Newcastle vs $1,725 in Durban, rent included.

Newcastle $1,627
Durban $1,725

A family of three spends $2,235 per month in Newcastle vs $2,330 in Durban, rent included.

Newcastle $2,235
Durban $2,330

Newcastle is about 9% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Newcastle and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Newcastle 25% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 R 150

$8.55 R 140

6.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.28 R 595

$36.80 R 604

-1.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.33 R 87.4

$6.05 R 99.3

-11.90%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R 37.39

$2.66 R 43.67

-14.29%

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

$1.03 R 16.83

$1.06 R 17.44

-2.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R 13.24

$0.84 R 13.76

-3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R 38.73

$2.43 R 39.92

-2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 R 55.4

$2.44 R 40.07

38.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.50

$1.19 R 19.47

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.03

$0.96 R 15.80

14.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 R 21.91

$1.49 R 24.48

-10.07%

Eggs

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.26 R 37.01

-19.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 R 111

$8.09 R 133

-16.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.97 R 81.6

$5.00 R 82.0

-0.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.43 R 122

$7.56 R 124

-1.72%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 R 13.85

$1.98 R 32.53

-57.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 R 16.83

$1.94 R 31.86

-46.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.93 R 15.23

$1.93 R 31.68

-51.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.55

$1.63 R 26.75

-15.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 R 15.69

$1.44 R 23.57

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.23

$1.37 R 22.42

-10.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R 12.62

$1.21 R 19.84

-36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 R 10.01

$1.18 R 19.35

-48.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 R 52.9

$3.52 R 57.7

-8.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.93 R 48.01

$4.74 R 77.8

-38.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R 22.50

$1.48 R 24.25

-7.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.39

$1.94 R 31.84

-54.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.59 R 26.10

$1.77 R 29.05

-10.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.91 R 359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.16

$0.40 R 6.59

-22.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.53

$0.71 R 11.67

7.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.48 R 238

$7.77 R 127

86.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 R 25.16

$1.51 R 24.81

1.32%

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

$35.8K R 587.8K

$35.9K R 588.4K

-0.11%

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

$34.1K R 560.0K

$33.4K R 548.0K

2.19%

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

$154 R 2,527

$147 R 2,416

4.60%

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

$37.56 R 616

$38.50 R 632

-2.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.63 R 601

$37.93 R 622

-3.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.65 R 536

$30.24 R 496

7.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.38 R 170

$9.01 R 148

15.21%

Cinema Ticket

$7.29 R 120

$7.26 R 119

0.41%

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

$265 R 4,353

$309 R 5,074

-14.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,178 R 101.4K

$7,433 R 122.0K

-16.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 R 865

$52.6 R 863

0.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.02 R 525

$27.16 R 446

17.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 R 1,505

$95.8 R 1,571

-4.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 R 1,347

$81.9 R 1,343

0.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 R 7,116

$424 R 6,963

2.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 R 5,260

$367 R 6,017

-12.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$759 R 12.4K

$785 R 12.9K

-3.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$751 R 12.3K

$724 R 11.9K

3.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$676 R 11.1K

$836 R 13.7K

-19.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$704 R 11.5K

$575 R 9,440

22.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.7

-3.08%

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

Last update for Newcastle: November 1, 2026

Last update for Durban: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newcastle

$321 31.5%

Durban

$367 32.8% 14.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newcastle

$228 22.4%

Durban

$224 20% 2% $4.6

Groceries & Markets

Newcastle

$154 15.1%

Durban

$193 17.2% 24.9% $38

Eating Out

Newcastle

$142 14%

Durban

$143 12.8% 0.5% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Newcastle

$116 11.4%

Durban

$116 10.3% 0.5% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Newcastle

$47 4.6%

Durban

$45 4% 5.2% $2.5

Getting Around

Newcastle

$11 * 1%

Durban

$33 2.9% 214% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Newcastle versus $424 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 $36 in Newcastle versus $37 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $154 vs $193 – making Newcastle the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Newcastle

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

Same time as Newcastle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

363,236

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Newcastle Durban 260 km

From you

Newcastle
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

Newcastle vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,529 per month in Newcastle and $1,680 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $434 in Newcastle and $424 in Durban. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Newcastle and $37 in Durban. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Durban, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,020 in Newcastle and $1,120 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 $1,020 in Newcastle to $1,120 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.