Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Springs and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Springs: $989 a month against $1,166 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Springs
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Springs Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Springs

🇿🇦 South Africa

$989

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $989 per month in Springs vs $1,166 in Durban, rent included.

Springs $989
Durban $1,166

A couple spends around $1,605 per month in Springs vs $1,788 in Durban, rent included.

Springs $1,605
Durban $1,788

A family of three spends $2,222 per month in Springs vs $2,411 in Durban, rent included.

Springs $2,222
Durban $2,411

Springs is about 15% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Springs and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Springs 27% lower, Durban 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 R 148

$8.00 R 132

12.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.11 R 611

$38.82 R 640

-4.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.13 R 84.5

$6.14 R 101

-16.45%

Cappuccino

$2.32 R 38.18

$2.62 R 43.15

-11.45%

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

$0.89 R 14.58

$1.10 R 18.19

-19.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R 11.42

$0.91 R 14.92

-24.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R 30.52

$2.46 R 40.48

-24.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 R 34.09

$2.56 R 42.25

-19.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 R 20.02

$1.19 R 19.55

2.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.65

$0.93 R 15.38

15.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.57

$1.55 R 25.61

15.48%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.29

$2.34 R 38.49

9.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.52 R 140

$8.47 R 140

0.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 R 80.6

$5.21 R 85.9

-6.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 R 121

$7.19 R 119

2.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 R 21.72

$2.02 R 33.21

-34.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 R 18.33

$1.89 R 31.10

-41.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.70

$1.93 R 31.79

-9.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 R 19.90

$1.66 R 27.42

-27.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.49

$1.52 R 24.99

-26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R 20.38

$1.45 R 23.89

-14.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 R 19.59

$1.17 R 19.23

1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R 13.05

$1.15 R 18.88

-31.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 R 52.6

$3.59 R 59.1

-11.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.91 R 64.4

$4.99 R 82.3

-21.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.78

$1.48 R 24.37

-22.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 28.79

$1.94 R 31.93

-9.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 R 30.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.23 R 366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.18

$0.45 R 7.43

-31.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 R 13.23

$0.74 R 12.23

8.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.52 R 239

$7.85 R 129

84.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 R 24.16

$1.57 R 25.80

-6.37%

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

$35.9K R 591.3K

$36.1K R 594.9K

-0.61%

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

$33.7K R 556.0K

$33.2K R 546.3K

1.78%

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

$151 R 2,489

$151 R 2,482

0.30%

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

$37.57 R 619

$36.50 R 601

2.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.55 R 586

$39.27 R 647

-9.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.64 R 653

$32.16 R 530

23.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.90 R 147

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 R 123

$7.50 R 123

-0.67%

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

$92.7 R 1,527

$315 R 5,184

-70.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,821 R 30.0K

$7,763 R 127.9K

-76.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 R 877

$54.3 R 895

-1.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 R 545

$30.58 R 504

8.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 R 1,544

$98.7 R 1,627

-5.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.6 R 1,410

$83.1 R 1,370

2.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$289 R 4,767

$470 R 7,738

-38.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 R 4,539

$405 R 6,666

-31.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$732 R 12.1K

$824 R 13.6K

-11.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 R 11.6K

$783 R 12.9K

-9.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,499 R 24.7K

$906 R 14.9K

65.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$694 R 11.4K

$589 R 9,707

17.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,171 R 19.3K

$1,296 R 21.3K

-9.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.75

11.78

-8.74%

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

Last update for Springs: October 20, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Springs

$276 27.9%

Durban

$405 34.7% 46.9% $129

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Springs

$224 22.7%

Durban

$226 19.4% 1% $2.2

Groceries & Markets

Springs

$176 17.8%

Durban

$194 16.7% 10.5% $19

Eating Out

Springs

$135 13.6%

Durban

$139 12% 3.5% $4.7

Clothing & Footwear

Springs

$120 12.1%

Durban

$120 10.3% 0.4% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Springs

$55 5.5%

Durban

$47 4.1% 13.5% $7.4

Getting Around

Springs

$4.3 * 0.4%

Durban

$34 2.9% 681% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $289 in Springs 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 11% 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 $37.00 in Springs versus $39.00 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $194 – making Springs the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Springs

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

Same time as Springs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,996

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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Springs Durban 470 km

From you

Springs
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

Springs vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,483 per month in Springs 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 Springs, 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 $37.00 in Springs 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 11% 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 Springs, where all-in costs run around $989, than in Durban at $1,166. In Springs it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Springs – 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 Springs. 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.