Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tembisa and Durban

For one person, living costs are similar in Tembisa and in Durban: $1,105 and $1,130 a month, rent and utilities included.

53

Cost of Living Index in Tembisa
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Tembisa Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Tembisa

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,105 per month in Tembisa vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Tembisa $1,105
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $1,734 per month in Tembisa vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Tembisa $1,734
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $2,363 per month in Tembisa vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Tembisa $2,363
Durban $2,366

Tembisa and Durban have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Tembisa and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Tembisa 19% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.69 R 161

$7.93 R 132

22.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.77 R 663

$39.14 R 652

1.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.82 R 97.0

$6.15 R 103

-5.37%

Cappuccino

$2.31 R 38.53

$2.73 R 45.52

-15.38%

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

$1.10 R 18.29

$1.12 R 18.58

-1.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R 13.79

$0.91 R 15.22

-8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 R 40.12

$2.43 R 40.48

-0.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 R 46.70

$2.48 R 41.39

12.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.53

$1.17 R 19.51

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 18.37

$1.01 R 16.75

8.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 R 30.35

$1.50 R 24.96

21.33%

Eggs

$2.54 R 42.40

$2.43 R 40.49

4.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.39 R 140

$8.22 R 137

2.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 R 81.9

$5.32 R 88.6

-7.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.19 R 120

$7.28 R 121

-1.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.09

$1.95 R 32.45

-7.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.11

$1.95 R 32.45

-13.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.76

$1.94 R 32.35

-10.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.71

$1.65 R 27.42

0.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.26

$1.55 R 25.81

-5.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 24.12

$1.46 R 24.32

-0.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 R 20.62

$1.17 R 19.41

5.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.41

$1.14 R 18.96

1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 R 55.4

$3.64 R 60.7

-8.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 R 83.8

$4.73 R 78.9

6.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.20

$1.41 R 23.42

-1.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 R 32.84

$1.89 R 31.57

4.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 R 26.03

$1.79 R 29.78

-12.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.61

$0.41 R 6.78

56.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.53

$0.76 R 12.59

22.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.73 R 195

$7.72 R 129

51.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.63

$1.49 R 24.83

-0.67%

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

$36.3K R 604.7K

$35.5K R 591.4K

2.24%

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

$33.3K R 554.9K

$32.3K R 538.6K

3.03%

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

$149 R 2,479

$148 R 2,460

0.77%

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

$35.37 R 589

$35.49 R 591

-0.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.16 R 619

$39.45 R 657

-5.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 R 534

$31.01 R 517

3.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.74 R 179

$8.61 R 143

24.74%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R 123

$7.39 R 123

-0.27%

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

$247 R 4,116

$317 R 5,274

-21.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,513 R 91.9K

$7,714 R 128.5K

-28.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 R 906

$53.2 R 887

2.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.07 R 551

$30.50 R 508

8.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,687

$99.1 R 1,651

2.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.2 R 1,486

$85.0 R 1,417

4.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 R 6,537

$445 R 7,414

-11.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,987

$374 R 6,240

-4.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 R 12.4K

$814 R 13.6K

-8.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$753 R 12.5K

$744 R 12.4K

1.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$877 R 14.6K

$820 R 13.7K

7.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$682 R 11.4K

$565 R 9,419

20.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$566 R 9,430

$1,280 R 21.3K

-55.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

11.78

-7.13%

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

Last update for Tembisa: October 27, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tembisa

$359 32.5%

Durban

$374 33.1% 4.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tembisa

$221 20%

Durban

$223 19.7% 0.6% $1.3

Groceries & Markets

Tembisa

$193 17.5%

Durban

$194 17.2% 0.6% $1.1

Eating Out

Tembisa

$148 13.4%

Durban

$140 12.4% 5.5% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Tembisa

$125 11.3%

Durban

$121 10.7% 3.6% $4.5

Sport & Entertainment

Tembisa

$47 4.2%

Durban

$46 4.1% 2.1% $1

Getting Around

Tembisa

$12 * 1%

Durban

$33 2.9% 183% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Tembisa 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.

Salaries in Durban are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Tembisa versus $39 in Durban. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Tembisa vs $194 in Durban – so Tembisa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Tembisa

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

23:44 11:44 PM

Same time as Tembisa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

463,109

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

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Between locations

Tembisa Durban 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tembisa
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

Tembisa vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,658 per month in Tembisa 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 Tembisa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $445 in Durban.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Tembisa and $39 in Durban. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $247 per month in Tembisa and $317 in Durban. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,105 in Tembisa and $1,130 in Durban, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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