Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Upington and Durban

For one person, living costs are similar in Upington and in Durban: $1,111 and $1,130 a month, rent and utilities included.

53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,111

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,111 per month in Upington vs $1,130 in Durban, rent included.

Upington $1,111
Durban $1,130

A couple spends around $1,731 per month in Upington vs $1,748 in Durban, rent included.

Upington $1,731
Durban $1,748

A family of three spends $2,350 per month in Upington vs $2,366 in Durban, rent included.

Upington $2,350
Durban $2,366

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

Both Upington and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Upington 18% lower, Durban 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 R 202

$7.93 R 132

52.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.62 R 594

$39.14 R 652

-8.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 R 97.2

$6.15 R 103

-5.20%

Cappuccino

$1.75 R 29.17

$2.73 R 45.52

-35.90%

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

$1.02 R 17.06

$1.12 R 18.58

-8.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 R 12.87

$0.91 R 15.22

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 R 28.38

$2.43 R 40.48

-30.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 R 45.95

$2.48 R 41.39

11.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.93 R 15.45

$1.17 R 19.51

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 R 20.27

$1.01 R 16.75

20.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.83

$1.50 R 24.96

7.33%

Eggs

$2.22 R 36.95

$2.43 R 40.49

-8.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 R 138

$8.22 R 137

1.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.40 R 89.9

$5.32 R 88.6

1.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.17 R 136

$7.28 R 121

12.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 R 34.27

$1.95 R 32.45

5.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.95 R 32.45

-23.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 R 27.37

$1.94 R 32.35

-15.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.31

$1.65 R 27.42

6.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.34 R 22.33

$1.55 R 25.81

-13.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 R 23.11

$1.46 R 24.32

-4.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 R 18.43

$1.17 R 19.41

-5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R 20.33

$1.14 R 18.96

7.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 R 46.01

$3.64 R 60.7

-24.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.73 R 62.1

$4.73 R 78.9

-21.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.67

$1.41 R 23.42

9.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.77

$1.89 R 31.57

10.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 R 24.31

$1.79 R 29.78

-18.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R 355

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.64

$0.41 R 6.78

56.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R 13.16

$0.76 R 12.59

3.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.30 R 188

$7.72 R 129

46.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 24.20

$1.49 R 24.83

-2.68%

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

$40.3K R 671.8K

$35.5K R 591.4K

13.59%

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

$34.8K R 579.4K

$32.3K R 538.6K

7.58%

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

$148 R 2,472

$148 R 2,460

0.50%

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

$39.28 R 655

$35.49 R 591

10.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.62 R 627

$39.45 R 657

-4.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.10 R 468

$31.01 R 517

-9.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.70 R 195

$8.61 R 143

35.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.00 R 133

$7.39 R 123

8.25%

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

$103 R 1,709

$317 R 5,274

-67.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,540 R 92.3K

$7,714 R 128.5K

-28.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 R 929

$53.2 R 887

4.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.07 R 534

$30.50 R 508

5.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 R 1,736

$99.1 R 1,651

5.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 R 1,405

$85.0 R 1,417

-0.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$389 R 6,474

$445 R 7,414

-12.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 R 5,958

$374 R 6,240

-4.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$613 R 10.2K

$814 R 13.6K

-24.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 R 12.3K

$744 R 12.4K

-1.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$917 R 15.3K

$820 R 13.7K

11.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$739 R 12.3K

$565 R 9,419

30.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$781 R 13.0K

$1,280 R 21.3K

-38.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

11.78

-3.40%

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

Last update for Upington: 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

Upington

$358 32.2%

Durban

$374 33.1% 4.7% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Upington

$225 20.3%

Durban

$223 19.7% 1.2% $2.7

Groceries & Markets

Upington

$193 17.4%

Durban

$194 17.2% 0.6% $1.2

Eating Out

Upington

$157 14.1%

Durban

$140 12.4% 10.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Upington

$124 11.2%

Durban

$121 10.7% 3.1% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Upington

$44 4%

Durban

$46 4.1% 3.9% $1.7

Getting Around

Upington

$10 * 0.9%

Durban

$33 2.9% 213% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $389 in Upington 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 run about 64% higher in Durban. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Upington versus $39 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $194 – making Upington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Upington

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

Same time as Upington

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,834

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

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Between locations

Upington Durban 960 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Upington
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

Upington vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,667 per month in Upington 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 Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $445 in Durban.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Upington and $39 in Durban. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Kindergarten costs $103 per month in Upington and $317 in Durban. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,111 in Upington and $1,130 in Durban. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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