Durban - Good news for cash-strapped Durban residents: it might not always feel like it, but according to a survey, the city is, for the most part, the cheapest of the country’s big metros.
And that goes for things like buying a beer, eating out and paying the rent.
The survey found that compared with Johannesburg rental prices in Durban are 18.3% lower; restaurant prices are 6% lower; going grocery shopping in Durban costs 16.5% less and local purchasing power in Durban is better.
Commodities such as bread, eggs, and milk also cost more in Johannesburg.
The standard of living survey by Numbeo, draws on user-contributed data about cities and countries worldwide.
“You would need around R27 201 in Durban to maintain the same standard of living that you can have with R31 000 in Johannesburg, assuming you rent in both cities,” Numbeo said.
Compared with Cape Town, Durban residents also get more bang for their bucks.
The survey revealed that for a mere R26 782 Durban residents could maintain the same standard of living they might have with R31 000 in Cape Town.
Rentals in Durban are 33.8% lower than in Cape Town, restaurant prices are 6.3% lower and grocery prices are 8.4% lower.
Rental accommodation, in particular, is an area where the people of Durban fare better than those of the fairest Cape.
The survey found that renting a one-bedroom flat in the Cape Town city centre would cost a tenant R8 225, whereas a tenant renting in Durban city centre would have to fork out R4 000.
When it comes to beer drinking, a domestic beer costs R19.32 in Johannesburg to Durban’s R13.17.
Even imported beer costs more in the country’s commercial capital than in Durban: R25.26 versus R16.83.
But when Durban is compared with the country’s capital - Pretoria - our city comes off second best as far as rentals are concerned. Rentals in Durban are 6.9% higher, and restaurant prices, 1.1% higher
eThekwini Tourism head, Philip Sithole, welcomed the findings of the survey.
He said that all over the world tourists looked at the standard of living of destinations they fancied travelling to.
Their research into possible holiday spots involved calcu-lating the prices of com-modities such as transport, food, accommodation and entertainment, he said.
“Being rated the cheapest city to live in means that more visitors will come to the city, but it does not mean that services provided are of a lower standard because you can get similar services to Cape Town and Johannesburg for cheaper in Durban.
“There is value for money for the tourists,” Sithole said.
Popular Durban music star DJ Tira, real name Mthokosizi Khathi, who owns property in both Durban and Johannesburg, said that the City of Gold was “definitely” the more expensive of the two cities, although it had more lifestyle options.
When compared to major international cities, living in Durban really shines.
The cost of living in Durban is far lower than in London. “You would need around R27 234 in Durban to maintain the same standard of living that R97 905 buys in London, the survey found.
Daily News