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

🙂 Solo nomad: Pietermaritzburg is 3.3% cheaper than Durban without rent, and 1.6% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Pietermaritzburg is 7.2% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 7.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.89 R 129

$7.58 R 124

4.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.20 R 692

$28.09 R 461

50.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.49 R 90.0

$5.16 R 84.7

6.40%

Cappuccino

$2.21 R 36.25

$1.90 R 31.13

16.32%

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

$0.88 R 14.44

$0.89 R 14.55

-1.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 R 11.52

$0.67 R 10.91

4.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 R 28.15

$1.91 R 31.28

-9.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 R 40.02

$2.26 R 36.99

7.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R 17.79

$1.04 R 17.13

3.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 R 14.17

$0.96 R 15.78

-10.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.99

$1.47 R 24.04

-0.68%

Eggs

$2.27 R 37.17

$2.12 R 34.82

7.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.96 R 114

$7.16 R 117

-2.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 R 80.3

$4.50 R 73.7

8.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 R 113

$6.39 R 105

7.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.25

$1.55 R 25.37

7.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.71

$1.43 R 23.48

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 R 31.81

$1.31 R 21.55

48.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.45

$1.29 R 21.21

34.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.30

$1.26 R 20.73

22.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.19

$1.17 R 19.24

57.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.25

$1.02 R 16.81

20.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 R 15.80

$0.98 R 16.00

-2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 R 48.11

$3.00 R 49.18

-2.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.60 R 59.1

$4.92 R 80.7

-26.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.77

$1.47 R 24.05

-5.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 R 27.87

$1.76 R 28.91

-3.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.67 R 43.76

$1.56 R 25.56

71.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.09 R 297

$38.63 R 634

-53.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 R 27.26

$1.72 R 28.21

-3.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.52 R 8.51

$0.62 R 10.11

-16.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.14 R 67.9

$6.91 R 113

-40.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R 20.34

$1.28 R 21.05

-3.13%

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

$23.7K R 387.9K

$19.9K R 326.3K

18.90%

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

$23.1K R 378.7K

$24.6K R 404.2K

-6.31%

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

$231 R 3,787

$146 R 2,388

58.57%

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

$30.59 R 502

$29.74 R 488

2.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 R 965

$33.15 R 544

77.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.71 R 635

$33.96 R 557

13.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 R 149

Cinema Ticket

$5.19 R 85.1

$6.83 R 112

-24.01%

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

$146 R 2,401

$207 R 3,392

-29.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,893 R 80.2K

$4,516 R 74.1K

8.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 R 1,000

$41.50 R 681

46.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.87 R 638

$30.01 R 492

29.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$182 R 2,985

$96.2 R 1,577

89.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 R 1,215

$72.4 R 1,187

2.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$206 R 3,375

$370 R 6,075

-44.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$189 R 3,094

$371 R 6,085

-49.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 R 8,412

$736 R 12.1K

-30.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 R 6,325

$582 R 9,544

-33.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,203 R 19.7K

$934 R 15.3K

28.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$433 R 7,109

$702 R 11.5K

-38.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$896 R 14.7K

$1,272 R 20.9K

-29.55%

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: January 13, 2026

Last update for Durban: January 10, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

Bangkok

🇹🇭 Thailand

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

Sao Paulo

🇧🇷 Brazil

Kuala Lumpur

🇲🇾 Malaysia

Almaty

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

Skopje

🇲🇰 North Macedonia

Beijing (Pekin)

🇨🇳 China