Cost of living comparison

compared to

Durban vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary

Durban is 11.5% more expensive than Beijing.

Restaurants
pay 77.4% more in Durban
Groceries
pay 0.1% more in Durban
Transportation
pay 21.1% more in Durban
Housing
pay 74.5% more in Durban
Childcare
pay 74.6% less in Durban
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.8% less in Durban
Clothing
pay 12.3% less in Durban

The cost of restaurants, housing, transportation, and groceries in Durban are more expensive than in Beijing. Expenses including childcare, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Durban. Notably, restaurants is significantly more expensive in Durban.

Durban vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Durban instead of Beijing, you would:

pay 77.4% more for restaurants

 
Beijing
Durban
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.21
CN¥29.74
$7.20
ZAR121.91
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.91
CN¥34.69
$5.19
ZAR87.77
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.48
CN¥3.39
$0.93
ZAR15.73

Improve prices ·

pay 0.1% more for groceries

 
Beijing
Durban
Bread
1 loaf
$1.71
CN¥12.07
$0.94
ZAR15.94
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.47
CN¥52.80
$3.69
ZAR62.46
Milk (1 gallon) $6.64
CN¥46.96
$4.08
ZAR69.13

Improve prices ·

pay 21.1% more for transportation

 
Beijing
Durban
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.21
CN¥29.77
$5.06
ZAR85.69
Monthly public transit pass $31.54
CN¥223.02
$39.64
ZAR670.92
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $18,225.66
CN¥128,857.25
$20,742.57
ZAR351,094.99

Improve prices ·

pay 74.5% more for housing

 
Beijing
Durban
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$12.93
CN¥91.43
$35.85
ZAR606.87
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $935.23
CN¥6,612.19
$400.23
ZAR6,774.33
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $504.41
CN¥3,566.20
$385.32
ZAR6,522.08

Improve prices ·

pay 74.6% less for childcare

 
Beijing
Durban
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $710.76
CN¥5,025.17
$217.47
ZAR3,680.95
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $23,242.73
CN¥164,328.40
$4,727.26
ZAR80,014.98

Improve prices ·

pay 5.8% less for entertainment and sports

 
Beijing
Durban
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.12
CN¥7.93
$2.02
ZAR34.13
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.90
CN¥20.52
$2.01
ZAR34.09
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.21
CN¥29.74
$3.17
ZAR53.64

Improve prices ·

pay 12.3% less for clothing

 
Beijing
Durban
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$62.30
CN¥440.46
$46.62
ZAR789.13
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$36.37
CN¥257.16
$30.73
ZAR520.08
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$81.74
CN¥577.91
$94.71
ZAR1,603.03

Improve prices ·
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in China vs. South Africa. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within China and South Africa.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Durban or Beijing. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.