Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Durban Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Durban

😐 Solo nomad: Pietermaritzburg is 1.2% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 1.6% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Pietermaritzburg is 19.7% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 4.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8 R 142
$7.41 R 132
7.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.14 R 767
$28.47 R 506
51.53%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.62 R 100
$5.16 R 91.8
8.91%
Cappuccino
$2.2 R 39.19
$1.91 R 33.89
15.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 R 15.49
$0.89 R 15.76
-2.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 R 12.33
$0.71 R 12.66
-2.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.69 R 30.08
$1.91 R 33.96
-11.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 R 42.04
$2.26 R 40.21
4.42%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 R 18.4
$1.04 R 18.52
-0.96%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 R 15.24
$0.99 R 17.52
-13.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.52 R 27.01
$1.43 R 25.37
6.29%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.95
$2.09 R 37.22
7.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.19 R 128
$7.16 R 127
0.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.83 R 85.9
$4.59 R 81.6
5.23%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.1 R 126
$6.44 R 115
10.25%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.16
$1.57 R 27.97
0.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.77 R 31.5
$1.43 R 25.37
23.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.01 R 35.73
$1.38 R 24.55
45.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.74 R 30.87
$1.35 R 24.05
28.89%
Potato (1kg)
$1.53 R 27.17
$1.26 R 22.46
21.43%
Onion (1kg)
$1.84 R 32.79
$1.18 R 20.93
55.93%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.24 R 22.07
$0.97 R 17.27
27.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 R 17.37
$0.97 R 17.28
1.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.85 R 50.6
$3.12 R 55.4
-8.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.31 R 58.9
$4.86 R 86.4
-31.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 R 25.76
$1.46 R 25.95
-0.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.7 R 30.2
$1.77 R 31.41
-3.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.67 R 47.54
$1.52 R 26.95
75.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.3 R 326
$37.96 R 675
-51.79%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.63 R 29.01
$1.71 R 30.49
-4.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.52 R 9.27
$0.63 R 11.19
-17.46%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.91 R 69.6
$6.64 R 118
-41.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 R 22.13
$1.33 R 23.67
-6.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.4K R 416.2K
$19.9K R 353.8K
17.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.9K R 407.7K
$24.1K R 427.9K
-4.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$230 R 4,094
$145 R 2,570
59.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.34 R 540
$29.28 R 521
3.62%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$56.9 R 1,012
$33.11 R 589
71.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.89 R 674
$34.25 R 609
10.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$9.32 R 166
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.12 R 91
$6.54 R 116
-21.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$150 R 2,666
$205 R 3,650
-26.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,782 R 85K
$4,650 R 82.7K
2.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.7 R 1,097
$41.7 R 742
47.91%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.2 R 679
$29.7 R 528
28.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$181 R 3,222
$94.8 R 1,686
91.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.1 R 1,354
$72.3 R 1,286
5.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$209 R 3,716
$379 R 6,742
-44.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$190 R 3,376
$364 R 6,471
-47.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$513 R 9,129
$738 R 13.1K
-30.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$386 R 6,863
$585 R 10.4K
-34.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$719 R 12.8K
$881 R 15.7K
-18.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$416 R 7,405
$1,107 R 19.7K
-62.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$862 R 15.3K
$1,183 R 21K
-27.14%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.5
12.01
-4.25%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 29, 2025

Last update for Durban: October 29, 2025

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