Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Francis Bay and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $979 a month against $1,120 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Durban outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

49

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$979

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $979 per month in St Francis Bay vs $1,120 in Durban, rent included.

St Francis Bay $979
Durban $1,120

A couple spends around $1,629 per month in St Francis Bay vs $1,725 in Durban, rent included.

St Francis Bay $1,629
Durban $1,725

A family of three spends $2,279 per month in St Francis Bay vs $2,330 in Durban, rent included.

St Francis Bay $2,279
Durban $2,330

St Francis Bay is about 13% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both St Francis Bay and Durban are more affordable than the global median – St Francis Bay 28% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.81 R 178

$8.55 R 141

26.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.74 R 687

$36.80 R 605

13.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.53 R 58.1

$6.05 R 99.6

-41.65%

Cappuccino

$2.14 R 35.16

$2.66 R 43.78

-19.55%

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

$1.01 R 16.66

$1.06 R 17.49

-4.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.93

$0.84 R 13.80

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 R 33.81

$2.43 R 40.03

-15.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.32

$2.44 R 40.18

-24.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R 15.47

$1.19 R 19.53

-21.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.37

$0.96 R 15.84

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.70

$1.49 R 24.55

0.67%

Eggs

$2.70 R 44.44

$2.26 R 37.11

19.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 R 117

$8.09 R 133

-12.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 R 85.9

$5.00 R 82.2

4.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.63 R 142

$7.56 R 124

14.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.80

$1.98 R 32.62

10.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.99

$1.94 R 31.94

-24.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.03

$1.93 R 31.77

-11.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.70

$1.63 R 26.82

11.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.56

$1.44 R 23.63

20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.62

$1.37 R 22.48

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.35

$1.21 R 19.90

2.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.88

$1.18 R 19.40

-12.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.14 R 51.6

$3.52 R 57.9

-10.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 77.9

$4.74 R 78.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.90

$1.48 R 24.32

-14.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.80

$1.94 R 31.92

-6.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 R 29.24

$1.77 R 29.13

0.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.91 R 360

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.47

$0.40 R 6.60

105.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.53

$0.71 R 11.70

-35.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 R 142

$7.77 R 128

10.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R 21.50

$1.51 R 24.88

-13.25%

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

$21.0K R 345.5K

$35.9K R 590.0K

-41.44%

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

$35.2K R 578.5K

$33.4K R 549.5K

5.28%

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

$60.8 R 999

$147 R 2,422

-58.74%

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

$34.39 R 566

$38.50 R 633

-10.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.35 R 680

$37.93 R 624

9.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.64 R 471

$30.24 R 498

-5.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.00 R 197

$9.01 R 148

33.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 R 151

$7.26 R 119

26.72%

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

$179 R 2,941

$309 R 5,087

-42.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,135 R 100.9K

$7,433 R 122.3K

-17.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 R 1,182

$52.6 R 865

36.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.31 R 647

$27.16 R 447

44.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,846

$95.8 R 1,575

17.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 R 1,564

$81.9 R 1,346

16.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 R 6,910

$424 R 6,981

-1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 R 5,069

$367 R 6,033

-15.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 R 13.7K

$785 R 12.9K

6.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 R 11.7K

$724 R 11.9K

-1.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$784 R 12.9K

$836 R 13.7K

-6.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$648 R 10.7K

$575 R 9,465

12.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 R 21.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

11.7

2.05%

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

Last update for St Francis Bay: November 1, 2026

Last update for Durban: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St Francis Bay

$308 31.5%

Durban

$367 32.8% 19% $59

Groceries & Markets

St Francis Bay

$190 19.4%

Durban

$193 17.2% 1.6% $3

Eating Out

St Francis Bay

$144 14.7%

Durban

$143 12.8% 0.4% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

St Francis Bay

$143 14.7%

Durban

$116 10.3% 19.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Francis Bay

$136 14%

Durban

$224 20% 63.9% $87

Sport & Entertainment

St Francis Bay

$47 4.8%

Durban

$45 4% 4.8% $2.3

Getting Around

St Francis Bay

$10 * 1%

Durban

$33 2.9% 222% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $420 in St Francis Bay versus $424 in Durban. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in St Francis Bay versus $37 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $190 in St Francis Bay vs $193 in Durban – so St Francis Bay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

Same time as St Francis Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,910

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.08 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

St Francis Bay Durban 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

St Francis Bay
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

St Francis Bay vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,468 per month in St Francis Bay and $1,680 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $420 in St Francis Bay and $424 in Durban. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in St Francis Bay and $37 in Durban. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $179 per month in St Francis Bay and $309 in Durban. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Durban has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $979 in St Francis Bay to $1,120 in Durban. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.