Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Secunda and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,027 a month against $1,166 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,027

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,027 per month in Secunda vs $1,166 in Durban, rent included.

Secunda $1,027
Durban $1,166

A couple spends around $1,667 per month in Secunda vs $1,788 in Durban, rent included.

Secunda $1,667
Durban $1,788

A family of three spends $2,306 per month in Secunda vs $2,411 in Durban, rent included.

Secunda $2,306
Durban $2,411

Secunda is about 12% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Secunda and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Secunda 24% lower, Durban 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 R 102

$8.00 R 132

-22.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.52 R 503

$38.82 R 640

-21.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 R 86.0

$6.14 R 101

-14.98%

Cappuccino

$2.27 R 37.42

$2.62 R 43.15

-13.36%

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

$0.81 R 13.38

$1.10 R 18.19

-26.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 R 8.33

$0.91 R 14.92

-43.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 R 17.59

$2.46 R 40.48

-56.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.72

$2.56 R 42.25

-46.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 R 19.14

$1.19 R 19.55

-2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 R 14.33

$0.93 R 15.38

-6.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.33

$1.55 R 25.61

18.71%

Eggs

$2.43 R 40.04

$2.34 R 38.49

3.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.53 R 141

$8.47 R 140

0.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 R 80.4

$5.21 R 85.9

-6.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.11 R 117

$7.19 R 119

-1.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.78

$2.02 R 33.21

-13.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.69

$1.89 R 31.10

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.60

$1.93 R 31.79

-6.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.15

$1.66 R 27.42

-0.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.50

$1.52 R 24.99

-26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.52

$1.45 R 23.89

-18.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.38

$1.17 R 19.23

5.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.48

$1.15 R 18.88

13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 R 55.3

$3.59 R 59.1

-6.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.01 R 82.6

$4.99 R 82.3

0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R 25.21

$1.48 R 24.37

3.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 R 31.66

$1.94 R 31.93

-1.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.65

$1.86 R 30.60

-26.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.23 R 366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.74

$0.45 R 7.43

-35.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R 12.51

$0.74 R 12.23

2.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.36 R 237

$7.85 R 129

82.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 R 25.85

$1.57 R 25.80

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

$35.7K R 587.4K

$36.1K R 594.9K

-1.26%

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

$35.5K R 584.4K

$33.2K R 546.3K

6.98%

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

$156 R 2,569

$151 R 2,482

3.52%

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

$38.00 R 626

$36.50 R 601

4.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.12 R 612

$39.27 R 647

-5.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.65 R 538

$32.16 R 530

1.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 R 180

$8.90 R 147

22.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.33 R 121

$7.50 R 123

-2.27%

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

$91.7 R 1,510

$315 R 5,184

-70.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,457 R 89.9K

$7,763 R 127.9K

-29.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 R 895

0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.82 R 541

$30.58 R 504

7.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 R 1,553

$98.7 R 1,627

-4.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.6 R 1,360

$83.1 R 1,370

-0.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 R 6,638

$470 R 7,738

-14.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$324 R 5,336

$405 R 6,666

-19.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$708 R 11.7K

$824 R 13.6K

-14.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$841 R 13.8K

$783 R 12.9K

7.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$839 R 13.8K

$906 R 14.9K

-7.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$602 R 9,912

$589 R 9,707

2.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,466 R 24.2K

$1,296 R 21.3K

13.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.78

-3.74%

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

Last update for Secunda: October 18, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Secunda

$324 31.5%

Durban

$405 34.7% 24.9% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Secunda

$231 22.5%

Durban

$226 19.4% 2% $4.7

Groceries & Markets

Secunda

$191 18.6%

Durban

$194 16.7% 1.9% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

Secunda

$119 11.6%

Durban

$120 10.3% 1.1% $1.3

Eating Out

Secunda

$106 10.3%

Durban

$139 12% 31.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Secunda

$47 4.6%

Durban

$47 4.1% 0.3% $0.2

Getting Around

Secunda

$9.6 * 0.9%

Durban

$34 2.9% 253% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Secunda versus $470 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 13% higher in Secunda, 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 $31.00 in Secunda versus $39.00 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $194 – making Secunda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Secunda

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

Same time as Secunda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,198

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

Secunda Durban 410 km

From you

Secunda
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

Secunda vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 13%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,541 per month in Secunda and $1,749 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Secunda, 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 $31.00 in Secunda 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 2% 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 Secunda, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Durban at $1,166. In Secunda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Secunda – 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 Secunda. 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.