San Francisco vs Durban Cost of Living

San Francisco (United States) · Overall index 95.1Durban (South Africa) · Overall index 26.2

Summary

  • Overall, Durban is 72% cheaper than San Francisco.
  • Rent in Durban is 87% cheaper than in San Francisco.
  • Transport in Durban is 74% cheaper than in San Francisco.
ItemSan FranciscoDurbanDiff
Rent-87%
1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$3,208$512-84%
1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$2,609$326-88%
3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly)$7,487$805-89%
3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly)$4,864$602-88%
Groceries-65%
Milk (1L)$1.31$0.54-59%
White bread (500g)$4.2$1.33-68%
Rice (1kg)$5.82$1.87-68%
Eggs (12)$4.57$1.96-57%
Local cheese (1kg)$16.3$5.74-65%
Chicken fillets (1kg)$12.6$4.5-64%
Beef round (1kg)$22.3$6.44-71%
Apples (1kg)$5.88$1.98-66%
Bananas (1kg)$2.46$0.69-72%
Oranges (1kg)$4.54$1.54-66%
Tomatoes (1kg)$5.5$1.93-65%
Potatoes (1kg)$3.06$1.1-64%
Onions (1kg)$2.72$1.06-61%
Lettuce (1 head)$2.75$0.97-65%
Water (1.5L bottle)$2.41$0.93-61%
Bottle of wine (mid-range)$15.4$5.78-62%
Transport-74%
Public transport, one-way ticket$3.1$0.72-77%
Public transport, monthly pass$139$38.9-72%
Taxi, base fare$4.48$1.07-76%
Taxi, per km$1.91$0.56-71%
Gasoline (1L)$0.99$0.25-75%
New compact car (e.g., VW Golf)$27,640$7,948-71%
Dining out-70%
Meal, inexpensive restaurant$21.5$7.83-64%
Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses)$115$36.9-68%
Fast food combo meal$11.6$3.77-67%
Cappuccino$5.52$1.56-72%
Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant)$3.04$0.89-71%
Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant)$8.59$2.36-73%
Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant)$8.71$2.63-70%
Water (0.33L, restaurant)$2.32$0.62-73%
Telecom-59%
Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly)$68.5$27.7-60%
Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly)$71.8$31.7-56%
Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min)$0.37$0.13-65%
Video streaming subscription (monthly)$15.8$6.7-58%
Utilities & household-66%
Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly)$176$59.2-66%
Electricity (1 kWh)$0.23$0.07-70%
Tap water (1m³)$5.1$1.77-65%
Natural gas (1m³)$1.47$0.5-66%
Waste collection (monthly)$25.8$8.15-68%
Fitness club (monthly)$94.8$29.2-69%
Cinema ticket (1 seat)$17.5$6.23-64%
Men's haircut$33.2$10.4-69%
Domestic cleaning (1 hour)$29.6$10.3-65%
Private kindergarten (monthly)$2,199$843-62%

3,372 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15

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