Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stellenbosch and Durban

For one person, living costs are similar in Stellenbosch and in Durban: $1,165 and $1,150 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
Learn more

Stellenbosch Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
Learn more

Durban Living Index

Jump to prices

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,165

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,165 per month in Stellenbosch vs $1,150 in Durban, rent included.

Stellenbosch $1,165
Durban $1,150

A couple spends around $1,913 per month in Stellenbosch vs $1,777 in Durban, rent included.

Stellenbosch $1,913
Durban $1,777

A family of three spends $2,660 per month in Stellenbosch vs $2,404 in Durban, rent included.

Stellenbosch $2,660
Durban $2,404

Stellenbosch costs about 1% more than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Stellenbosch and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Stellenbosch 14% lower, Durban 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.29 R 120

$7.84 R 129

-7.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.82 R 590

$38.75 R 638

-7.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 R 77.8

$5.87 R 96.7

-19.59%

Cappuccino

$2.05 R 33.74

$2.63 R 43.30

-22.05%

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

$1.00 R 16.52

$1.08 R 17.85

-7.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.67

$0.89 R 14.72

-13.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 R 44.51

$2.37 R 38.99

13.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 R 50.7

$2.62 R 43.10

17.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.16

$1.23 R 20.33

8.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.99 R 16.23

15.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 R 30.68

$1.50 R 24.71

24.00%

Eggs

$2.84 R 46.86

$2.34 R 38.58

21.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.62 R 142

$8.10 R 133

6.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.80 R 95.6

$5.09 R 83.8

13.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.51 R 124

$7.48 R 123

0.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.67

$1.93 R 31.78

-9.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.14

$1.90 R 31.36

-22.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.78

$1.91 R 31.42

-11.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.17

$1.64 R 27.09

-3.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.89

$1.49 R 24.61

-26.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.17

$1.40 R 23.11

9.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.50

$1.17 R 19.33

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R 19.36

$1.14 R 18.84

2.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.52 R 58.1

$3.64 R 60.0

-3.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 102

$4.75 R 78.2

29.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R 21.93

$1.41 R 23.27

-5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.91

$1.85 R 30.45

17.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.80 R 29.63

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.77 R 359

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 R 10.10

$0.40 R 6.60

52.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 R 25.56

$0.76 R 12.47

103.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.02 R 82.7

$7.53 R 124

-33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.05

$1.55 R 25.52

-9.68%

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

$35.0K R 577.2K

-0.01%

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

$31.0K R 510.9K

$31.3K R 515.5K

-0.89%

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

$103 R 1,691

$148 R 2,435

-30.56%

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

$28.53 R 470

$35.20 R 580

-18.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.28 R 565

$38.95 R 642

-11.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.25 R 482

$31.79 R 524

-7.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.81 R 277

$9.10 R 150

84.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.32 R 121

21.45%

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

$264 R 4,351

$312 R 5,143

-15.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,389 R 39.4K

$7,555 R 124.5K

-68.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.1 R 858

$55.0 R 905

-5.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.72 R 473

$30.90 R 509

-7.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,951

$100 R 1,648

18.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 R 1,486

$84.3 R 1,389

7.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$698 R 11.5K

$463 R 7,621

50.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$488 R 8,038

$398 R 6,555

22.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,443 R 23.8K

$818 R 13.5K

76.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 R 19.0K

$789 R 13.0K

46.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$878 R 14.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$580 R 9,557

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,556 R 42.1K

$1,271 R 20.9K

101.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.7

11.78

-9.17%

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

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 12, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stellenbosch

$488 41.9%

Durban

$398 34.6% 18.5% $90

Groceries & Markets

Stellenbosch

$202 17.4%

Durban

$193 16.7% 4.8% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stellenbosch

$165 14.2%

Durban

$222 19.3% 34.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Stellenbosch

$130 11.2%

Durban

$122 10.6% 6.6% $8.7

Eating Out

Stellenbosch

$124 10.6%

Durban

$137 11.9% 10.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Stellenbosch

$47 4%

Durban

$46 4% 1.3% $0.6

Getting Around

Stellenbosch

$8.4 * 0.7%

Durban

$33 2.9% 296% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $698 in Stellenbosch versus $463 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 101% higher in Stellenbosch, 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 $36.00 in Stellenbosch versus $39.00 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $202 in Stellenbosch vs $193 in Durban – so Durban wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

Same time as Stellenbosch

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,068

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stellenbosch Durban 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Stellenbosch
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

Stellenbosch vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stellenbosch is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,748 per month in Stellenbosch and $1,726 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36.00 in Stellenbosch 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 5% more in Stellenbosch, 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 Durban, where all-in costs run around $1,150, than in Stellenbosch at $1,165. In Durban it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stellenbosch it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Durban – 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 Durban. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stellenbosch makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.