Cost of Living Comparison Between Soweto and Durban Cost of Living Comparison Between Soweto and Durban

🙂 Solo nomad: Soweto is 3.8% cheaper than Durban without rent, and 4.6% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Soweto is 6.2% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 3.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.58 R 153

$7.41 R 132

15.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.26 R 592

$28.47 R 506

16.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 R 85.9

$5.16 R 91.8

-6.40%

Cappuccino

$2.1 R 37.36

$1.91 R 33.89

9.95%

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

$1 R 17.74

$0.89 R 15.76

12.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.8 R 14.28

$0.71 R 12.66

12.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 R 40.36

$1.91 R 33.96

18.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 R 50.4

$2.26 R 40.21

25.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 21.1

$1.04 R 18.52

14.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 R 18.77

$0.99 R 17.52

7.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 R 29.16

$1.43 R 25.37

14.69%

Eggs

$2.47 R 43.89

$2.09 R 37.22

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 R 134

$7.16 R 127

5.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.62 R 82.1

$4.59 R 81.6

0.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.32 R 112

$6.44 R 115

-1.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 R 28.62

$1.57 R 27.97

2.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 26.01

$1.43 R 25.37

2.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 R 26.15

$1.38 R 24.55

6.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.6 R 28.43

$1.35 R 24.05

18.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 R 24.41

$1.26 R 22.46

8.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 21.78

$1.18 R 20.93

3.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.1 R 19.57

$0.97 R 17.27

13.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R 16.6

$0.97 R 17.28

-4.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 R 50.6

$3.12 R 55.4

-8.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.4 R 96

$4.86 R 86.4

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 23.9

$1.46 R 25.95

-8.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 R 29.47

$1.77 R 31.41

-6.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 R 29.58

$1.52 R 26.95

9.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.96 R 675

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.1 R 19.6

$1.71 R 30.49

-35.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 R 16.78

$0.63 R 11.19

49.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 R 53.9

$6.64 R 118

-54.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R 21.61

$1.33 R 23.67

-8.27%

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

$19.3K R 342.6K

$19.9K R 353.8K

-3.16%

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

$23.8K R 423.3K

$24.1K R 427.9K

-1.07%

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

$116 R 2,070

$145 R 2,570

-19.45%

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

$36.84 R 655

$29.28 R 521

25.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.77 R 690

$33.11 R 589

17.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.19 R 555

$34.25 R 609

-8.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.32 R 166

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 R 127

$6.54 R 116

9.17%

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

$193 R 3,437

$205 R 3,650

-5.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,295 R 76.4K

$4,650 R 82.7K

-7.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 R 897

$41.7 R 742

20.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.68 R 563

$29.7 R 528

6.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88 R 1,564

$94.8 R 1,686

-7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78 R 1,387

$72.3 R 1,286

7.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 R 6,367

$379 R 6,742

-5.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 R 6,015

$364 R 6,471

-7.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 R 12.3K

$738 R 13.1K

-6.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 R 12.2K

$585 R 10.4K

17.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$757 R 13.5K

$881 R 15.7K

-14.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$567 R 10.1K

$1,107 R 19.7K

-48.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,183 R 21K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.51

12.01

-4.16%

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

Last update for Soweto: October 28, 2025

Last update for Durban: October 29, 2025

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