Big city living is never a walk in the park, no matter where you live. There’s always too much month at the end of your money, and securing a rental property can be a nightmare. Whether you’re in Cape Town, Johannesburg or Durban, the markets are fiercely competitive and – in some cases – prove to be overpriced.
With Numbeo releasing a new set of data this month, we thought we’d delve into their numbers to compare “the big three” in Mzansi. We’ve decided to look at the monthly rental costs in each city, alongside the average salary earned by residents. You know, just to gauge a sense of affordability…
Cape Town vs Johannesburg vs Durban: What it costs to rent in each city
(All figures are based on a monthly rental price)
| Type of property | Cape Town | Johannesburg | Durban |
| One-bed apartment (city centre) | R11 126 | R6 543 | R4 879 |
| One-bed apartment (outskirts of town) | R7 422 | R5 794 | R5 183 |
| Three-bed apartment (city centre) | R22 547 | R13 471 | R9 573 |
| Three-bed apartment (outskirts of town) | R14 735 | R11 638 | R10 965 |
| Average monthly wage | R18 653 | R17 146 | R15 005 |
Rental prices in South Africa
Durban is, quite comfortably, the winner on this one. It boasts the lowest rental prices across the board, and despite offering lower salaries than Cape Town and Johannesburg, it holds its own as the most affordable in almost every department.
Joburg does score a couple of victories from this table – it’s more affordable to buy property in the suburbs of the city than it is with its competitors. The outskirts of town provide a cheaper alternative to an already-fair pricing structure. In fact, someone should send that memo to Cape Town…
It is literally the most expensive and least-affordable in every area surveyed. Despite the Mother City boasting the highest average wage, it does little to put a dent in those sky-high rental prices. Having said that, recent reports suggest that letting costs may be coming down in CPT.
Cape Town vs Johannesburg vs Durban: Buying property
The numbers in the buyer’s market are just as steep – Numbeo have gathered information on how much it costs to buy an apartment in each city, based on per-square-metre prices. Look away now, Capetonians:
Cape Town:
- Price-per-Square-Metre to buy an apartment in the city centre: R38 038
- Price-per-square-metre to buy an apartment outside of the centre: R18 619
Johannesburg:
- Price-per-square-metre to buy an apartment in the city centre: R14 354
- Price-per-square-metre to buy apartment outside of the centre: R10 404
Durban:
- Price-per-Square-Metre to buy an apartment in the city centre: R10 252
- Price-per-square-metre to buy apartment outside of the centre: R10 598
