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

😐 Solo nomad: Pietermaritzburg is 18.8% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 3.4% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Pietermaritzburg is 31.1% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 7.4% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.96 R 130
$7.35 R 120
8.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$43.18 R 704
$27.99 R 456
54.27%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.51 R 89.8
$4.93 R 80.4
11.76%
Cappuccino
$2.12 R 34.57
$1.96 R 31.98
8.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 R 14.16
$0.89 R 14.51
-2.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 R 11.29
$0.71 R 11.65
-2.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.63 R 26.61
$1.94 R 31.66
-15.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 R 39.49
$2.17 R 35.43
11.52%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 R 17.46
$1.03 R 16.86
3.88%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 R 13.07
$0.96 R 15.63
-16.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.48
$1.47 R 24.00
2.04%
Eggs
$2.25 R 36.69
$2.10 R 34.23
7.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.04 R 115
$7.23 R 118
-2.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.69 R 76.4
$4.50 R 73.4
4.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.02 R 114
$6.26 R 102
12.14%
Apples (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.14
$1.50 R 24.49
10.67%
Banana (1kg)
$1.76 R 28.75
$1.37 R 22.35
28.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.00 R 32.67
$1.38 R 22.49
44.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.67 R 27.16
$1.35 R 22.07
23.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.48 R 24.06
$1.32 R 21.49
12.12%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 R 28.98
$1.17 R 19.10
52.14%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 R 20.92
$1.03 R 16.77
24.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 15.69
$0.89 R 14.57
7.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.90 R 47.29
$3.04 R 49.52
-4.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.61 R 58.9
$4.88 R 79.6
-26.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.45 R 23.62
$1.46 R 23.76
-0.68%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.78 R 28.94
$1.73 R 28.22
2.89%
🚌 Getting Around
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.70 R 44.03
$1.55 R 25.30
74.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.09 R 295
$38.88 R 634
-53.47%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.64 R 26.71
$1.70 R 27.67
-3.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 R 8.59
$0.58 R 9.42
-8.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.97 R 64.7
$6.59 R 107
-39.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 R 20.29
$1.33 R 21.68
-6.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.0K R 391.2K
$20.5K R 333.6K
17.27%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.6K R 368.0K
$24.0K R 391.7K
-6.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$237 R 3,857
$145 R 2,358
63.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$30.12 R 491
$29.02 R 473
3.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$58.2 R 948
$33.87 R 552
71.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.31 R 624
$34.73 R 566
10.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$9.45 R 154
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.08 R 82.8
$6.79 R 111
-25.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$149 R 2,427
$204 R 3,320
-26.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,742 R 77.3K
$4,538 R 74.0K
4.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.1 R 996
$42.70 R 696
43.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.43 R 626
$30.08 R 490
27.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$181 R 2,947
$93.8 R 1,530
92.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$73.5 R 1,197
$73.2 R 1,193
0.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$208 R 3,398
$365 R 5,951
-42.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$185 R 3,018
$371 R 6,040
-50.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$518 R 8,449
$734 R 12.0K
-29.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$381 R 6,212
$598 R 9,743
-36.24%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$756 R 12.3K
$963 R 15.7K
-21.49%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$445 R 7,247
$698 R 11.4K
-36.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$884 R 14.4K
$1,278 R 20.8K
-30.82%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Durban: April 13, 2026

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

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