Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Durban Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Durban

🙂 Solo nomad: Polokwane is 14.2% cheaper than Durban without rent, and 22.9% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Polokwane is 7% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 16% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Polokwane
Durban
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.72 R 173
$7.41 R 132
31.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.89 R 745
$28.47 R 506
47.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.89 R 86.9
$5.16 R 91.8
-5.23%
Cappuccino
$2.25 R 40.08
$1.91 R 33.89
17.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 R 15.2
$0.89 R 15.76
-4.49%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 R 13.22
$0.71 R 12.66
4.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.66 R 29.52
$1.91 R 33.96
-13.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.98 R 35.14
$2.26 R 40.21
-12.39%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Polokwane
Durban
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.18 R 21
$1.04 R 18.52
13.46%
White Bread (500g)
$1 R 17.86
$0.99 R 17.52
1.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.73 R 30.68
$1.43 R 25.37
20.98%
Eggs
$2.44 R 43.43
$2.09 R 37.22
16.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.83 R 121
$7.16 R 127
-4.61%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.26 R 58
$4.59 R 81.6
-28.98%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.56 R 99
$6.44 R 115
-13.66%
Apples (1kg)
$1.69 R 30.05
$1.57 R 27.97
7.64%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 R 26.21
$1.43 R 25.37
2.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.55 R 27.62
$1.38 R 24.55
12.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 R 28.72
$1.35 R 24.05
19.26%
Potato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.44
$1.26 R 22.46
18.25%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 R 21.04
$1.18 R 20.93
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.33
$0.97 R 17.27
12.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 R 12.92
$0.97 R 17.28
-24.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.73 R 48.59
$3.12 R 55.4
-12.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.53 R 80.6
$4.86 R 86.4
-6.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 R 19.22
$1.46 R 25.95
-26.03%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 R 22.36
$1.77 R 31.41
-28.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Polokwane
Durban
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.18 R 56.5
$1.52 R 26.95
109.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$37.96 R 675
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.86 R 15.24
$1.71 R 30.49
-49.71%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.93 R 16.56
$0.63 R 11.19
47.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4 R 71.2
$6.64 R 118
-39.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.21 R 21.49
$1.33 R 23.67
-9.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$14.2K R 251.9K
$19.9K R 353.8K
-28.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.7K R 404.4K
$24.1K R 427.9K
-5.49%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Polokwane
Durban
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 R 2,097
$145 R 2,570
-18.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$40.52 R 721
$29.28 R 521
38.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.68 R 670
$33.11 R 589
13.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Polokwane
Durban
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.81 R 388
$34.25 R 609
-36.32%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$9.32 R 166
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.35 R 131
$6.54 R 116
12.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Polokwane
Durban
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$169 R 3,011
$205 R 3,650
-17.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,346 R 23.9K
$4,650 R 82.7K
-71.06%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Polokwane
Durban
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$34.11 R 607
$41.7 R 742
-18.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.05 R 588
$29.7 R 528
11.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.8 R 1,330
$94.8 R 1,686
-21.10%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79 R 1,405
$72.3 R 1,286
9.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Polokwane
Durban
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$253 R 4,503
$379 R 6,742
-33.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$176 R 3,126
$364 R 6,471
-51.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$373 R 6,639
$738 R 13.1K
-49.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$281 R 5,000
$585 R 10.4K
-51.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$780 R 13.9K
$881 R 15.7K
-11.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$692 R 12.3K
$1,107 R 19.7K
-37.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Polokwane
Durban
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 26.2K
$1,183 R 21K
24.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
12.01
-4.16%

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

Last update for Polokwane: October 27, 2025

Last update for Durban: October 29, 2025

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