Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sun City and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Durban: $1,130 a month against $1,270 in Sun City, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Sun City
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Sun City Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Sun City

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,270

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,270 per month in Sun City vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Sun City $1,270
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $1,953 per month in Sun City vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Sun City $1,953
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $2,636 per month in Sun City vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Sun City $2,636
Durban $2,366

Sun City costs about 12% more than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sun City and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Sun City 7% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.96 R 199

$7.93 R 132

50.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.28 R 771

$39.14 R 652

18.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 R 124

$6.15 R 103

21.30%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.70

$2.73 R 45.52

-8.42%

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

$1.26 R 21.01

$1.12 R 18.58

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.47

$0.91 R 15.22

8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.80

$2.43 R 40.48

0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 46.01

$2.48 R 41.39

11.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R 22.14

$1.17 R 19.51

13.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 R 20.05

$1.01 R 16.75

18.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.85

$1.50 R 24.96

15.33%

Eggs

$2.79 R 46.42

$2.43 R 40.49

14.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 R 149

$8.22 R 137

8.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.65 R 94.1

$5.32 R 88.6

6.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.75 R 146

$7.28 R 121

20.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.07

$1.95 R 32.45

7.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 R 31.17

$1.95 R 32.45

-4.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.35

$1.94 R 32.35

-6.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.68

$1.65 R 27.42

29.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.43

$1.55 R 25.81

6.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.80

$1.46 R 24.32

22.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 R 24.20

$1.17 R 19.41

23.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 R 21.70

$1.14 R 18.96

14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 R 58.5

$3.64 R 60.7

-3.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 R 100

$4.73 R 78.9

27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 30.11

$1.41 R 23.42

28.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 R 38.43

$1.89 R 31.57

22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.83

$1.79 R 29.78

-13.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 R 14.68

$0.41 R 6.78

114.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.82

$0.76 R 12.59

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.33 R 239

$7.72 R 129

85.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 R 26.08

$1.49 R 24.83

4.70%

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

$35.8K R 596.0K

$35.5K R 591.4K

0.78%

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

$34.8K R 580.3K

$32.3K R 538.6K

7.75%

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

$229 R 3,823

$148 R 2,460

55.40%

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

$38.97 R 649

$35.49 R 591

9.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.57 R 626

$39.45 R 657

-4.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.51 R 542

$31.01 R 517

4.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.11 R 185

$8.61 R 143

29.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.49 R 142

$7.39 R 123

14.88%

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

$246 R 4,106

$317 R 5,274

-22.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,591 R 93.2K

$7,714 R 128.5K

-27.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 R 982

$53.2 R 887

10.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.49 R 758

$30.50 R 508

49.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 R 1,922

$99.1 R 1,651

16.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,854

$85.0 R 1,417

30.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 R 6,607

$445 R 7,414

-10.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,982

$374 R 6,240

-4.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.1K

$814 R 13.6K

-11.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 R 12.1K

$744 R 12.4K

-2.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$874 R 14.6K

$820 R 13.7K

6.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$681 R 11.3K

$565 R 9,419

20.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,280 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

11.78

-7.39%

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

Last update for Sun City: October 24, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sun City

$359 28.3%

Durban

$374 33.1% 4.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sun City

$306 24.1%

Durban

$223 19.7% 27.3% $83

Groceries & Markets

Sun City

$220 17.3%

Durban

$194 17.2% 11.8% $26

Eating Out

Sun City

$175 13.8%

Durban

$140 12.4% 20% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Sun City

$149 11.7%

Durban

$121 10.7% 19.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sun City

$50 3.9%

Durban

$46 4.1% 7.5% $3.7

Getting Around

Sun City

$12 * 0.9%

Durban

$33 2.9% 176% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Sun City versus $445 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 $46 in Sun City versus $39 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $220 vs $194 – making Durban the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Sun City

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

00:07 12:07 AM

Same time as Sun City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,556

3,442,361

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sun City Durban 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sun City
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

Sun City vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sun City is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,905 per month in Sun City and $1,695 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sun City, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $445 in Durban.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Sun City and $39 in Durban. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Sun City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,270 in Sun City and $1,130 in Durban, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Durban has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,130 in Durban to $1,270 in Sun City. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.