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

🙂 Solo nomad: Soweto is 5.8% cheaper than Durban without rent, and 4.5% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Soweto is 8.5% more expensive than Durban without rent, and 5.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.51 R 137

$7.74 R 125

9.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.40 R 538

$28.50 R 459

17.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.87 R 78.4

$5.10 R 82.1

-4.51%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R 33.63

$2.00 R 32.23

4.50%

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

$0.99 R 15.94

$0.89 R 14.34

11.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 13.73

$0.70 R 11.31

21.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 R 35.59

$1.99 R 31.97

11.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 R 44.58

$2.18 R 35.12

27.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 R 19.32

$1.04 R 16.78

15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 R 17.08

$0.95 R 15.35

11.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.40

$1.47 R 23.61

7.48%

Eggs

$2.38 R 38.30

$2.19 R 35.28

8.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 R 121

$7.41 R 119

1.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.53 R 73.0

$4.40 R 70.9

2.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.57 R 106

$6.33 R 102

3.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.14

$1.57 R 25.23

3.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.46

$1.41 R 22.72

3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.01

$1.33 R 21.36

16.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.00

$1.31 R 21.04

28.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 R 21.21

$1.32 R 21.26

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 R 18.74

$1.17 R 18.85

-0.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 R 16.78

$0.98 R 15.82

6.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R 15.04

$0.94 R 15.18

-1.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 R 45.93

$3.16 R 50.8

-9.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.04 R 81.2

$4.83 R 77.8

4.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 21.59

$1.41 R 22.77

-4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 R 25.87

$1.68 R 27.04

-4.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 R 27.15

$1.51 R 24.27

11.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.66 R 622

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 R 18.53

$1.73 R 27.81

-33.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.52

$0.61 R 9.88

47.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.11 R 50.1

$6.82 R 110

-54.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R 19.58

$1.34 R 21.50

-8.96%

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

$19.0K R 306.2K

$19.9K R 319.7K

-4.23%

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

$23.5K R 377.8K

$24.2K R 389.1K

-2.91%

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

$120 R 1,936

$142 R 2,294

-15.58%

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

$36.93 R 595

$28.88 R 465

27.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.70 R 607

$33.20 R 535

13.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.92 R 498

$34.47 R 555

-10.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.00 R 145

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 R 115

$6.83 R 110

4.98%

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

$200 R 3,223

$205 R 3,305

-2.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,409 R 71.0K

$4,585 R 73.8K

-3.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 R 823

$42.86 R 690

19.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.63 R 509

$29.83 R 480

6.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 R 1,417

$92.7 R 1,493

-5.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.2 R 1,291

$73.7 R 1,186

8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 R 5,767

$373 R 6,001

-3.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 R 5,439

$366 R 5,889

-7.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 R 10.8K

$746 R 12.0K

-9.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$679 R 10.9K

$583 R 9,379

16.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$882 R 14.2K

$958 R 15.4K

-7.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$646 R 10.4K

$722 R 11.6K

-10.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,292 R 20.8K

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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Durban: March 1, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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