Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Polokwane: $959 a month against $1,150 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Polokwane
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Polokwane Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index

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Polokwane

🇿🇦 South Africa

$959

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $959 per month in Polokwane vs $1,150 in Durban, rent included.

Polokwane $959
Durban $1,150

A couple spends around $1,417 per month in Polokwane vs $1,777 in Durban, rent included.

Polokwane $1,417
Durban $1,777

A family of three spends $1,875 per month in Polokwane vs $2,404 in Durban, rent included.

Polokwane $1,875
Durban $2,404

Polokwane is about 17% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Polokwane and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Polokwane 29% lower, Durban 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.24 R 202

$7.84 R 129

56.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.66 R 489

$38.75 R 638

-23.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 R 123

$5.87 R 96.7

27.09%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.26

$2.63 R 43.30

-9.51%

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

$0.77 R 12.68

$1.08 R 17.85

-28.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 R 14.47

$0.89 R 14.72

-1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 R 27.65

$2.37 R 38.99

-29.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R 30.95

$2.62 R 43.10

-28.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.71

$1.23 R 20.33

7.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 R 17.82

$0.99 R 16.23

9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.03

$1.50 R 24.71

13.33%

Eggs

$2.65 R 43.69

$2.34 R 38.58

13.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.84 R 129

$8.10 R 133

-3.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.59 R 75.6

$5.09 R 83.8

-9.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.04 R 99.6

$7.48 R 123

-19.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 R 33.19

$1.93 R 31.78

4.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.53

$1.90 R 31.36

-2.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.80

$1.91 R 31.42

-5.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.30

$1.64 R 27.09

19.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.49

$1.49 R 24.61

12.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.73

$1.40 R 23.11

7.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.48

$1.17 R 19.33

-4.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R 13.46

$1.14 R 18.84

-28.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 R 44.22

$3.64 R 60.0

-26.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.87 R 80.2

$4.75 R 78.2

2.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.88

$1.41 R 23.27

-18.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R 26.54

$1.85 R 30.45

-12.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 15.22

$1.80 R 29.63

-48.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.03 R 495

$21.77 R 359

37.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 R 14.41

$0.40 R 6.60

117.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.66

$0.76 R 12.47

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.36 R 237

$7.53 R 124

90.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.52

$1.55 R 25.52

-7.74%

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

$26.1K R 430.1K

$35.0K R 577.2K

-25.49%

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

$28.5K R 469.0K

$31.3K R 515.5K

-9.02%

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

$138 R 2,281

$148 R 2,435

-6.32%

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

$38.10 R 628

$35.20 R 580

8.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.99 R 544

$38.95 R 642

-15.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.29 R 384

$31.79 R 524

-26.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.10 R 150

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 132

$7.32 R 121

9.29%

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

$179 R 2,946

$312 R 5,143

-42.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,452 R 23.9K

$7,555 R 124.5K

-80.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.30 R 746

$55.0 R 905

-17.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.73 R 622

$30.90 R 509

22.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.6 R 1,328

$100 R 1,648

-19.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 R 1,544

$84.3 R 1,389

11.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 R 4,785

$463 R 7,621

-37.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$203 R 3,338

$398 R 6,555

-49.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,922

$818 R 13.5K

-48.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 R 4,683

$789 R 13.0K

-63.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$878 R 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$580 R 9,557

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,343 R 22.1K

$1,271 R 20.9K

5.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.78

-7.39%

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

Last update for Polokwane: October 12, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polokwane

$210 21.8%

Durban

$222 19.3% 5.9% $12

Accommodation & Living

Polokwane

$203 21.1%

Durban

$398 34.6% 96.4% $195

Groceries & Markets

Polokwane

$185 19.3%

Durban

$193 16.7% 4% $7.4

Eating Out

Polokwane

$168 17.5%

Durban

$137 11.9% 18.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Polokwane

$116 12.1%

Durban

$122 10.6% 5% $5.8

Getting Around

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Durban

$33 2.9% 15.8% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Polokwane

$39 4.1%

Durban

$46 4% 18.1% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $290 in Polokwane versus $463 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 6% higher in Polokwane, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Polokwane versus $39.00 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $193 – making Polokwane the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Polokwane

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

14:32 2:32 PM

Same time as Polokwane

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

628,999

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Polokwane Durban 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Polokwane
Durban

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Polokwane vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,439 per month in Polokwane and $1,726 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Polokwane, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $959 in Polokwane and $1,150 in Durban. That's a gap of about 20%.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Polokwane. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polokwane, where all-in costs run around $959, than in Durban at $1,150. In Polokwane it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Polokwane – 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 Polokwane. 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.