Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pietermaritzburg and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Pietermaritzburg: $1,033 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pietermaritzburg
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Pietermaritzburg Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,033

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,033
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $1,555 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $1,555
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $2,077 per month in Pietermaritzburg vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Pietermaritzburg $2,077
Durban $2,366

Pietermaritzburg is about 9% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pietermaritzburg and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Pietermaritzburg 24% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.74 R 129

$7.93 R 132

-2.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.63 R 593

$39.14 R 651

-8.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.4

$6.15 R 102

-5.69%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.21

$2.73 R 45.45

-13.55%

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

$1.16 R 19.37

$1.12 R 18.55

3.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.12

$0.91 R 15.19

13.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 R 35.72

$2.43 R 40.41

-11.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R 41.69

$2.48 R 41.33

1.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.13

$1.17 R 19.48

13.68%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 R 15.30

$1.01 R 16.73

-8.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.26

$1.50 R 24.92

13.33%

Eggs

$3.16 R 52.6

$2.43 R 40.43

30.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.22 R 120

$8.22 R 137

-12.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.94 R 82.1

$5.32 R 88.4

-7.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 R 106

$7.28 R 121

-12.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.94

$1.95 R 32.40

4.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 R 32.23

$1.95 R 32.40

-0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 R 38.68

$1.94 R 32.30

19.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.03 R 33.85

$1.65 R 27.37

23.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.63

$1.55 R 25.77

14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.04

$1.46 R 24.28

23.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 R 24.74

$1.17 R 19.38

27.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 R 17.26

$1.14 R 18.93

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 52.2

$3.64 R 60.6

-13.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.92 R 65.3

$4.73 R 78.8

-17.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 R 23.66

$1.41 R 23.39

0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.16

$1.89 R 31.52

-7.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.86 R 47.62

$1.79 R 29.73

59.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.71 R 328

$21.32 R 355

-7.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 R 26.48

$0.41 R 6.77

287.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 R 17.66

$0.76 R 12.57

39.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R 128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.92

$1.49 R 24.79

-3.36%

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

$26.5K R 441.6K

$35.5K R 590.5K

-25.20%

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

$26.8K R 445.6K

$32.3K R 537.7K

-17.13%

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

$205 R 3,410

$148 R 2,456

38.84%

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

$32.46 R 540

$35.49 R 590

-8.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.19 R 619

$39.45 R 656

-5.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.80 R 729

$31.01 R 516

41.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.05 R 50.8

$8.61 R 143

-64.58%

Cinema Ticket

$4.84 R 80.5

$7.39 R 123

-34.51%

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

$177 R 2,945

$317 R 5,266

-44.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,103 R 84.9K

$7,714 R 128.3K

-33.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.7 R 943

$53.2 R 886

6.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 R 572

$30.50 R 507

12.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,894

$99.1 R 1,648

14.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 R 1,163

$85.0 R 1,414

-17.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$216 R 3,601

$445 R 7,402

-51.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$217 R 3,607

$374 R 6,230

-42.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 R 9,583

$814 R 13.5K

-29.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$405 R 6,742

$744 R 12.4K

-45.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,914 R 98.4K

$820 R 13.6K

621.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$148 R 2,466

$565 R 9,404

-73.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,058 R 17.6K

$1,280 R 21.3K

-17.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.67

11.78

-0.93%

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

Last update for Pietermaritzburg: October 24, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pietermaritzburg

$275 26.6%

Durban

$223 19.7% 18.9% $52

Accommodation & Living

Pietermaritzburg

$217 21%

Durban

$374 33.1% 72.7% $158

Groceries & Markets

Pietermaritzburg

$194 18.8%

Durban

$194 17.2% 0.2% $0.4

Eating Out

Pietermaritzburg

$132 12.8%

Durban

$140 12.4% 5.9% $7.8

Clothing & Footwear

Pietermaritzburg

$124 12%

Durban

$121 10.7% 2.5% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Pietermaritzburg

$53 5.2%

Durban

$46 4.1% 14.3% $7.7

Getting Around

Pietermaritzburg

$38 3.7%

Durban

$33 2.9% 14.2% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $216 in Pietermaritzburg 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 21% higher in Durban. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Pietermaritzburg versus $39 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $194 vs $194 – making Pietermaritzburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Pietermaritzburg

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

13:06 1:06 PM

Same time as Pietermaritzburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

618,536

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Pietermaritzburg Durban 68 km

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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

Pietermaritzburg vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,550 per month in Pietermaritzburg 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 Pietermaritzburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $216 there versus $445 in Durban.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Pietermaritzburg and $39 in Durban. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 8% less in Pietermaritzburg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,033 in Pietermaritzburg and $1,130 in Durban, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Pietermaritzburg – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Pietermaritzburg. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Durban makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.