Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Welkom and Durban

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,056 a month against $1,166 in Durban, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Durban
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Durban Living Index

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Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,056

/mo nomad

Durban

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,166

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,056 per month in Welkom vs $1,166 in Durban, rent included.

Welkom $1,056
Durban $1,166

A couple spends around $1,603 per month in Welkom vs $1,788 in Durban, rent included.

Welkom $1,603
Durban $1,788

A family of three spends $2,150 per month in Welkom vs $2,411 in Durban, rent included.

Welkom $2,150
Durban $2,411

Welkom is about 9% cheaper than Durban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Welkom and Durban are more affordable than the global median – Welkom 22% lower, Durban 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.27 R 153

$8.00 R 132

15.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.37 R 352

$38.82 R 640

-44.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.27 R 86.8

$6.14 R 101

-14.17%

Cappuccino

$2.32 R 38.18

$2.62 R 43.15

-11.45%

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

$0.51 R 8.34

$1.10 R 18.19

-53.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 R 9.61

$0.91 R 14.92

-36.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 R 20.29

$2.46 R 40.48

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 R 25.57

$2.56 R 42.25

-39.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R 16.52

$1.19 R 19.55

-15.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.68

$0.93 R 15.38

8.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.56

$1.55 R 25.61

-11.61%

Eggs

$1.88 R 30.94

$2.34 R 38.49

-19.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.82 R 112

$8.47 R 140

-19.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.72 R 77.8

$5.21 R 85.9

-9.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.01 R 82.5

$7.19 R 119

-30.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.22

$2.02 R 33.21

-24.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.58

$1.89 R 31.10

-11.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.41

$1.93 R 31.79

-10.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 R 19.92

$1.66 R 27.42

-27.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R 18.05

$1.52 R 24.99

-27.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 R 20.48

$1.45 R 23.89

-14.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 R 15.37

$1.17 R 19.23

-20.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 R 22.31

$1.15 R 18.88

17.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.45 R 40.31

$3.59 R 59.1

-31.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.44 R 40.21

$4.99 R 82.3

-51.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R 25.22

$1.48 R 24.37

3.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 R 29.41

$1.94 R 31.93

-8.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 R 23.99

$1.86 R 30.60

-21.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.23 R 366

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.17

$0.45 R 7.43

-31.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 R 13.39

$0.74 R 12.23

9.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.69 R 242

$7.85 R 129

87.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 R 25.84

$1.57 R 25.80

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

$35.2K R 579.2K

$36.1K R 594.9K

-2.63%

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

$34.6K R 570.3K

$33.2K R 546.3K

4.40%

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

$152 R 2,502

$151 R 2,482

0.82%

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

$37.50 R 618

$36.50 R 601

2.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.90 R 624

$39.27 R 647

-3.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.20 R 531

$32.16 R 530

0.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.68 R 159

$8.90 R 147

8.76%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 118

$7.50 R 123

-4.27%

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

$260 R 4,279

$315 R 5,184

-17.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,614 R 92.5K

$7,763 R 127.9K

-27.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.6 R 883

$54.3 R 895

-1.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.13 R 529

$30.58 R 504

5.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 R 1,506

$98.7 R 1,627

-7.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.4 R 1,357

$83.1 R 1,370

-0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 R 6,457

$470 R 7,738

-16.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,920

$405 R 6,666

-11.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 R 12.1K

$824 R 13.6K

-11.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.2K

$783 R 12.9K

-5.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$749 R 12.3K

$906 R 14.9K

-17.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$651 R 10.7K

$589 R 9,707

10.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,296 R 21.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

11.78

-3.74%

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

Last update for Welkom: October 17, 2026

Last update for Durban: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Welkom

$359 34%

Durban

$405 34.7% 12.6% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Welkom

$227 21.5%

Durban

$226 19.4% 0.4% $0.9

Groceries & Markets

Welkom

$165 15.6%

Durban

$194 16.7% 18% $30

Eating Out

Welkom

$131 12.4%

Durban

$139 12% 6% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Welkom

$117 11.1%

Durban

$120 10.3% 2.8% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Welkom

$47 4.4%

Durban

$47 4.1% 1.3% $0.6

Getting Around

Welkom

$10 * 1%

Durban

$34 2.9% 232% $24

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 Welkom versus $470 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 $21.00 in Welkom versus $39.00 in Durban. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $165 vs $194 – making Welkom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Welkom

🇿🇦 Durban

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

Same time as Welkom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,130

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

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Welkom Durban 470 km

From you

Welkom
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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

Welkom vs Durban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Durban is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,584 per month in Welkom and $1,749 in Durban. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Welkom, 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 $21.00 in Welkom 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 18% more in Durban, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Welkom, where all-in costs run around $1,056, than in Durban at $1,166. In Welkom it covers expenses comfortably, while in Durban it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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