Cost of Living Comparison Between Durban and Cape Town 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Cape Town is 9.6% higher than in Durban (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Cape Town is 24.2% higher than in Durban
Rent Prices in Cape Town are 81.0% higher than in Durban
Restaurant Prices in Cape Town are 20.9% higher than in Durban
Groceries Prices in Cape Town are 10.4% higher than in Durban
Local Purchasing Power in Cape Town is 4.9% higher than in Durban
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 150.00 R 175.00 R      +16.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 550.00 R 800.00 R      +45.5 %
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) 45.00 R 45.00 R      0.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 35.58 R 36.46 R      +2.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 16.40 R 20.03 R      +22.1 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 12.51 R 14.59 R      +16.6 %
Markets
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 70.81 R 76.60 R      +8.2 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 15.40 R 17.24 R      +12.0 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 11.57 R 14.89 R      +28.7 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 38.31 R 43.25 R      +12.9 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 58.97 R 70.01 R      +18.7 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 35.73 R 40.74 R      +14.0 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 51.18 R 60.54 R      +18.3 %
Apples (1 lb) 12.27 R 12.70 R      +3.5 %
Banana (1 lb) 10.76 R 11.59 R      +7.8 %
Oranges (1 lb) 11.05 R 12.12 R      +9.7 %
Tomato (1 lb) 10.62 R 12.52 R      +17.8 %
Potato (1 lb) 10.30 R 8.55 R      -17.1 %
Onion (1 lb) 9.59 R 9.58 R      -0.1 %
Lettuce (1 head) 17.79 R 19.04 R      +7.0 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 16.92 R 17.19 R      +1.6 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 85.00 R 95.00 R      +11.8 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 26.78 R 24.86 R      -7.2 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 31.92 R 30.45 R      -4.6 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 54.00 R 55.00 R      +1.9 %
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 30.58 R      +72.7 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 120.00 R 80.00 R      -33.3 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 88.92 R 85.50 R      -3.9 %
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 442,046.10 R      +1.6 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 2,573.14 R 1,848.29 R      -28.2 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 523.36 R 555.50 R      +6.1 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 602.53 R 747.28 R      +24.0 %
Sports And Leisure
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 590.91 R 707.86 R      +19.8 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 164.00 R 151.33 R      -7.7 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 120.00 R 120.00 R      0.0 %
Childcare
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 3,630.50 R 3,724.00 R      +2.6 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 82,044.44 R 93,769.15 R      +14.3 %
Clothing And Shoes
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 756.44 R 982.86 R      +29.9 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 553.06 R 579.92 R      +4.9 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 1,605.50 R 1,956.00 R      +21.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 1,261.46 R 1,483.30 R      +17.6 %
Rent Per Month
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 6,907.69 R 13,603.45 R      +96.9 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 6,482.35 R 9,250.00 R      +42.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 13,464.29 R 25,960.00 R      +92.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 10,312.50 R 18,459.26 R      +79.0 %
Buy Apartment Price
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 1,808.31 R 3,210.95 R      +77.6 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 1,898.88 R 2,243.74 R      +18.2 %
Salaries And Financing
Durban Edit Cape Town Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 20,757.55 R 27,054.67 R      +30.3 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 12.01 11.84      -1.4 %
Last update: April 2025May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:52198