Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset West and Durban

For one person, living costs are similar in Somerset West and in Durban: $1,160 and $1,130 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,160 per month in Somerset West vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Somerset West $1,160
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Somerset West vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Somerset West $1,888
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $2,615 per month in Somerset West vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Somerset West $2,615
Durban $2,366

Somerset West costs about 3% more than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Somerset West and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Somerset West 15% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 R 204

$7.93 R 132

54.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.52 R 759

$39.14 R 652

16.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 R 90.7

$6.15 R 103

-11.54%

Cappuccino

$2.06 R 34.34

$2.73 R 45.52

-24.54%

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

$1.06 R 17.74

$1.12 R 18.58

-5.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 14.01

$0.91 R 15.22

-7.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.91

$2.43 R 40.48

6.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R 54.5

$2.48 R 41.39

31.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.13

$1.17 R 19.51

-11.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.39

$1.01 R 16.75

-2.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.70

$1.50 R 24.96

38.67%

Eggs

$2.28 R 38.00

$2.43 R 40.49

-6.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 R 139

$8.22 R 137

1.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 R 86.3

$5.32 R 88.6

-2.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 R 154

$7.28 R 121

26.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.23

$1.95 R 32.45

-7.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.47

$1.95 R 32.45

-3.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.00

$1.94 R 32.35

-10.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.20

$1.65 R 27.42

2.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.23

$1.55 R 25.81

-2.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.48

$1.46 R 24.32

4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.42

$1.17 R 19.41

10.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R 17.80

$1.14 R 18.96

-6.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 R 56.5

$3.64 R 60.7

-6.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 R 98.1

$4.73 R 78.9

24.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.73

$1.41 R 23.42

-3.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.17

$1.89 R 31.57

-7.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 R 18.47

$1.79 R 29.78

-37.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 R 1,007

$21.32 R 355

183.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.81

$0.41 R 6.78

43.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.72

$0.76 R 12.59

102.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 R 82.4

$7.72 R 129

-36.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 R 23.68

$1.49 R 24.83

-4.70%

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

$29.3K R 487.5K

$35.5K R 591.4K

-17.56%

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

$29.4K R 489.1K

$32.3K R 538.6K

-9.18%

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

$82.1 R 1,368

$148 R 2,460

-44.41%

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

$29.05 R 484

$35.49 R 591

-18.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.47 R 674

$39.45 R 657

2.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.16 R 736

$31.01 R 517

42.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.43 R 174

$8.61 R 143

21.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 R 121

$7.39 R 123

-1.49%

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

$251 R 4,175

$317 R 5,274

-20.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,596 R 59.9K

$7,714 R 128.5K

-53.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.99 R 516

$53.2 R 887

-41.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.32 R 522

$30.50 R 508

2.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 R 1,189

$99.1 R 1,651

-27.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.3 R 939

$85.0 R 1,417

-33.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 R 10.7K

$445 R 7,414

44.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,095

$374 R 6,240

13.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 R 22.3K

$814 R 13.6K

64.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 R 15.6K

$744 R 12.4K

25.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,221 R 20.3K

$820 R 13.7K

48.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$892 R 14.9K

$565 R 9,419

57.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 R 23.6K

$1,280 R 21.3K

10.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

11.78

-14.09%

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

Last update for Somerset West: 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

Somerset West

$426 36.7%

Durban

$374 33.1% 12.1% $51

Groceries & Markets

Somerset West

$200 17.2%

Durban

$194 17.2% 2.8% $5.5

Eating Out

Somerset West

$166 14.3%

Durban

$140 12.4% 15.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset West

$152 13.1%

Durban

$223 19.7% 46.8% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset West

$86 7.4%

Durban

$121 10.7% 40.9% $35

Getting Around

Somerset West

$73 6.3%

Durban

$33 2.9% 55.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset West

$59 5.1%

Durban

$46 4.1% 22% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $643 in Somerset West 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 run about 11% higher in Somerset West. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Somerset West versus $39 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $200 vs $194 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

20:01 8:01 PM

Same time as Somerset West

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,166

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Somerset West Durban 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerset West
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

Somerset West vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Somerset West is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,740 per month in Somerset West and $1,695 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Durban, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $445 there versus $643 in Somerset West.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,160 in Somerset West and $1,130 in Durban. That’s a gap of about 3%.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Durban. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,160 in Somerset West and $1,130 in Durban, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

If budget matters most, go with Durban. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Somerset West makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.