Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rustenburg and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $799 a month against $1,150 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$799

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $799 per month in Rustenburg vs $1,150 in Durban, rent included.

Rustenburg $799
Durban $1,150

A couple spends around $1,318 per month in Rustenburg vs $1,777 in Durban, rent included.

Rustenburg $1,318
Durban $1,777

A family of three spends $1,837 per month in Rustenburg vs $2,404 in Durban, rent included.

Rustenburg $1,837
Durban $2,404

Rustenburg is about 31% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Rustenburg and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Rustenburg 41% lower, Durban 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 R 101

$7.84 R 129

-22.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.66 R 719

$38.75 R 638

12.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.28 R 103

$5.87 R 96.7

6.98%

Cappuccino

$2.03 R 33.47

$2.63 R 43.30

-22.81%

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

$0.96 R 15.75

$1.08 R 17.85

-11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R 8.26

$0.89 R 14.72

-43.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R 24.37

$2.37 R 38.99

-37.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.40

$2.62 R 43.10

-20.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.38

$1.23 R 20.33

-8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 R 16.36

$0.99 R 16.23

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.20

$1.50 R 24.71

18.00%

Eggs

$2.70 R 44.53

$2.34 R 38.58

15.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 R 121

$8.10 R 133

-9.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 R 82.6

$5.09 R 83.8

-1.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.44 R 106

$7.48 R 123

-13.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.00

$1.93 R 31.78

-8.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.27

$1.90 R 31.36

-16.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.47

$1.91 R 31.42

-6.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 R 18.78

$1.64 R 27.09

-30.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 R 21.96

$1.49 R 24.61

-10.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.89

$1.40 R 23.11

-22.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.15

$1.17 R 19.33

9.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.48

$1.14 R 18.84

-17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 R 51.5

$3.64 R 60.0

-14.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.96 R 98.2

$4.75 R 78.2

25.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 R 9.55

$1.41 R 23.27

-58.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.61

$1.85 R 30.45

-48.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 R 29.63

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.77 R 359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.48

$0.40 R 6.60

105.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.42

$0.76 R 12.47

15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 242

$7.53 R 124

94.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.55

$1.55 R 25.52

-7.74%

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

$28.4K R 468.3K

$35.0K R 577.2K

-18.87%

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

$27.6K R 455.5K

$31.3K R 515.5K

-11.63%

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

$74.9 R 1,233

$148 R 2,435

-49.36%

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

$13.66 R 225

$35.20 R 580

-61.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.01 R 593

$38.95 R 642

-7.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.21 R 349

$31.79 R 524

-33.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.21 R 102

$9.10 R 150

-31.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 R 81.5

$7.32 R 121

-32.51%

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

$112 R 1,841

$312 R 5,143

-64.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,493 R 90.5K

$7,555 R 124.5K

-27.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.05 R 709

$55.0 R 905

-21.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.85 R 772

$30.90 R 509

51.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,798

$100 R 1,648

9.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 R 901

$84.3 R 1,389

-35.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 R 5,537

$463 R 7,621

-27.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 R 3,937

$398 R 6,555

-39.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$818 R 13.5K

-12.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 R 8,559

$789 R 13.0K

-34.16%

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)

$1,085 R 17.9K

$1,271 R 20.9K

-14.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.9

11.78

-15.96%

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

Last update for Rustenburg: October 11, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rustenburg

$239 29.9%

Durban

$398 34.6% 66.5% $159

Groceries & Markets

Rustenburg

$176 22%

Durban

$193 16.7% 9.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rustenburg

$125 15.6%

Durban

$222 19.3% 78.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Rustenburg

$114 14.3%

Durban

$122 10.6% 6.5% $7.4

Eating Out

Rustenburg

$110 13.7%

Durban

$137 11.9% 25% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Rustenburg

$31 3.9%

Durban

$46 4% 49.3% $15

Getting Around

Rustenburg

$5.2 * 0.7%

Durban

$33 2.9% 538% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $336 in Rustenburg 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 17% higher in Durban, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Rustenburg versus $39.00 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $176 in Rustenburg vs $193 in Durban – so Rustenburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

Same time as Rustenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

549,575

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

On the map

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Between locations

Rustenburg Durban 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rustenburg
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

Rustenburg vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 44%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,199 per month in Rustenburg 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 Rustenburg, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Rustenburg and $39.00 in Durban. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Durban, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rustenburg, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Durban at $1,150. In Rustenburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rustenburg – 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 Rustenburg. 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.