Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Cape Town 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Cape Town is 12.0% higher than in Durban (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Cape Town is 25.5% higher than in Durban
Rent Prices in Cape Town are 76.7% higher than in Durban
Restaurant Prices in Cape Town are 37.3% higher than in Durban
Groceries Prices in Cape Town are 9.1% higher than in Durban
Local Purchasing Power in Cape Town is 7.6% higher than in Durban
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 130.00 R 200.00 R      +53.8 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 500.00 R 800.00 R      +60.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 90.00 R 90.00 R      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 35.00 R 50.00 R      +42.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 37.50 R 45.00 R      +20.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 34.74 R 36.61 R      +5.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 16.07 R 20.20 R      +25.7 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 12.37 R 15.10 R      +22.1 %
Markets
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 70.20 R 78.18 R      +11.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 15.04 R 17.36 R      +15.5 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 11.73 R 15.10 R      +28.7 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 38.11 R 42.83 R      +12.4 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 60.01 R 68.73 R      +14.5 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 36.62 R 41.69 R      +13.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 51.54 R 60.86 R      +18.1 %
Apples (1 lb) 12.50 R 12.36 R      -1.1 %
Banana (1 lb) 11.43 R 11.84 R      +3.6 %
Oranges (1 lb) 11.55 R 11.87 R      +2.7 %
Tomato (1 lb) 10.77 R 12.40 R      +15.1 %
Potato (1 lb) 10.67 R 8.95 R      -16.1 %
Onion (1 lb) 9.92 R 9.90 R      -0.2 %
Lettuce (1 head) 18.37 R 19.15 R      +4.3 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 16.75 R 17.16 R      +2.5 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 85.00 R 100.00 R      +17.6 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 25.53 R 24.59 R      -3.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 30.75 R 30.62 R      -0.4 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 55.00 R 55.00 R      0.0 %
Transportation
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 27.50 R 17.00 R      -38.2 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 687.93 R 850.00 R      +23.6 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 30.00 R 25.00 R      -16.7 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 17.70 R 28.97 R      +63.6 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 120.00 R 80.00 R      -33.3 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 87.56 R 82.60 R      -5.7 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 360,000.00 R 380,000.00 R      +5.6 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 434,958.33 R 434,848.30 R      -0.0 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 2,573.14 R 1,781.05 R      -30.8 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 523.36 R 587.72 R      +12.3 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 622.26 R 737.58 R      +18.5 %
Sports And Leisure
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 609.09 R 746.92 R      +22.6 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 164.00 R 145.00 R      -11.6 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 122.50 R 120.00 R      -2.0 %
Childcare
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 3,755.50 R 3,796.15 R      +1.1 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 82,044.44 R 94,499.92 R      +15.2 %
Clothing And Shoes
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 776.69 R 982.73 R      +26.5 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 549.94 R 587.42 R      +6.8 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 1,635.24 R 2,016.67 R      +23.3 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 1,291.58 R 1,509.96 R      +16.9 %
Rent Per Month
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 6,715.38 R 13,517.86 R      +101.3 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 6,658.82 R 9,250.00 R      +38.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 13,535.71 R 25,608.70 R      +89.2 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 10,812.50 R 18,276.00 R      +69.0 %
Buy Apartment Price
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,642.40 R 3,065.79 R      +86.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,954.60 R 2,127.61 R      +8.9 %
Salaries And Financing
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 20,611.08 R 27,832.17 R      +35.0 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 12.01 11.77      -2.0 %
Last update: 23 June 202524 June 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:55215