Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rayong and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Rayong: $940 a month against $1,130 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Rayong, Thailand
Durban, South Africa
Rayong
🇹🇭 Thailand
$940
/mo nomad
Durban
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,130
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $940 per month in Rayong vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

  • Rayong $940
  • Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $1,192 per month in Rayong vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

  • Rayong $1,192
  • Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $1,444 per month in Rayong vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

  • Rayong $1,444
  • Durban $2,366

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

Both Rayong and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Rayong 31% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rayong
Durban
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.99 ฿101
$7.93 R 132
-62.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$17.80 ฿601
$39.14 R 652
-54.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.53 ฿254
$6.15 R 103
22.44%
Cappuccino
$1.68 ฿56.7
$2.73 R 45.52
-38.46%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.52 ฿17.43
$1.12 R 18.58
-53.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ฿9.49
$0.91 R 15.22
-69.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.74 ฿58.9
$2.43 R 40.48
-28.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.01 ฿102
$2.48 R 41.39
21.37%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rayong
Durban
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.90 ฿64.3
$1.17 R 19.51
62.39%
White Bread (500g)
$1.32 ฿44.47
$1.01 R 16.75
30.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.40 ฿47.31
$1.50 R 24.96
-6.67%
Eggs
$2.48 ฿83.8
$2.43 R 40.49
2.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.25 ฿582
$8.22 R 137
109.85%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.86 ฿96.4
$5.32 R 88.6
-46.24%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.00 ฿439
$7.28 R 121
78.57%
Apples (1kg)
$3.29 ฿111
$1.95 R 32.45
68.72%
Banana (1kg)
$1.73 ฿58.6
$1.95 R 32.45
-11.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.26 ฿76.5
$1.94 R 32.35
16.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.88 ฿63.6
$1.65 R 27.42
13.94%
Potato (1kg)
$1.69 ฿57.1
$1.55 R 25.81
9.03%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 ฿49.95
$1.46 R 24.32
1.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.28 ฿43.09
$1.17 R 19.41
9.40%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿16.15
$1.14 R 18.96
-57.89%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.76 ฿161
$3.64 R 60.7
30.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.72 ฿497
$4.73 R 78.9
211.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿59.8
$1.41 R 23.42
25.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.26 ฿110
$1.89 R 31.57
72.49%
🚌 Getting Around
Rayong
Durban
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.79 R 29.78
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$21.32 R 355
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.06 ฿35.92
$0.41 R 6.78
158.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.20 ฿40.50
$0.76 R 12.59
57.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.09 ฿206
$7.72 R 129
-21.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 ฿47.17
$1.49 R 24.83
-6.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K ฿1.0M
$35.5K R 591.4K
-13.70%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿893.2K
$32.3K R 538.6K
-18.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rayong
Durban
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.92 ฿1,517
$148 R 2,460
-69.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.62 ฿494
$35.49 R 591
-58.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.77 ฿397
$39.45 R 657
-70.16%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rayong
Durban
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$67.2 ฿2,270
$31.01 R 517
116.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.41 ฿588
$8.61 R 143
102.21%
Cinema Ticket
$6.63 ฿224
$7.39 R 123
-10.28%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rayong
Durban
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$788 ฿26.6K
$317 R 5,274
148.89%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.5K ฿556.9K
$7,714 R 128.5K
113.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rayong
Durban
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$69.4 ฿2,343
$53.2 R 887
30.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.09 ฿1,455
$30.50 R 508
41.28%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.1 ฿3,313
$99.1 R 1,651
-0.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$103 ฿3,479
$85.0 R 1,417
21.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rayong
Durban
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$421 ฿14.2K
$445 R 7,414
-5.28%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$293 ฿9,911
$374 R 6,240
-21.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$814 R 13.6K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$744 R 12.4K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$820 R 13.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,999 ฿67.5K
$565 R 9,419
253.74%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rayong
Durban
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$460 ฿15.5K
$1,280 R 21.3K
-64.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.25
11.78
-55.43%

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

Last update for Rayong: October 25, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Rayong
$293
Durban
$374 27.6% $81
Groceries & Markets
Rayong
$262
Durban
$194 25.8% $68
Clothing & Footwear
Rayong
$141
Durban
$121 14.6% $21
Eating Out
Rayong
$85
Durban
$140 65.4% $55
Sport & Entertainment
Rayong
$80
Durban
$46 43.1% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rayong
$71
Durban
$223 212% $151
Getting Around
Rayong
$7.1 *
Durban
$33 363% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $421 in Rayong 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 in Durban are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Rayong versus $39 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $262 in Rayong vs $194 in Durban – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Rayong
🇿🇦 Durban
🕒 Local time
20:01 8:01 PM
15:01 3:01 PM
5 h behind Rayong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
63,565
3,442,361
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Rayong Durban 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Rayong
  • 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
Rayong vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Rayong cheaper than Durban?
Yes – Durban is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,410 per month in Rayong and $1,695 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
What is the rent difference between Rayong and Durban?
A central 1-bedroom goes for about $421 in Rayong and $445 in Durban. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.
Is eating out cheaper in Rayong or in Durban?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $18 in Rayong and $39 in Durban. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Rayong and in Durban?
Interestingly, groceries are about 26% cheaper in Durban – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Is it better to live in Rayong or in Durban?
It depends on your priorities. Durban has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $940 in Rayong to $1,130 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Rayong. 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.

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