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Accra vs Durban cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ฌ๐ญ Accra
๐ฟ๐ฆ Durban
At a glance
- Where Durban is clearly cheaper: Coffee (46%โ), Cocktail & wine (41%โ), Taxi (20%โ)
- Where Accra is clearly cheaper: Bottled water (38%โ), Entry ticket (38%โ), Haircut (34%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Accra 3 vs Durban 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Accra | Durban | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | GHโต 70$5.98 | R 120$6.86 | Accra โ13% |
| Street food1 item | GHโต 35$2.99 | R 75$4.29 | Accra โ30% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | GHโต 180$15.4 | R 300$17.1 | Accra โ10% |
| Coffeeone cup | GHโต 50$4.27 | R 40$2.29 | Durban โ46% |
| Beerone bottle | GHโต 25$2.13 | R 40$2.29 | Accra โ7% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | GHโต 90$7.69 | R 80$4.57 | Durban โ41% |
| Bottled water | GHโต 5$0.43 | R 12$0.69 | Accra โ38% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | GHโต 10$0.85 | R 18$1.03 | Accra โ17% |
| Taxi5 km in town | GHโต 50$4.27 | R 60$3.43 | Durban โ20% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | GHโต 25$2.13 | R 35$2 | Durban โ6% |
| Transitone ride | GHโต 8$0.68 | R 15$0.86 | Accra โ20% |
| Scooter rentalper day | GHโต 250$21.3 | R 350$20 | Durban โ6% |
| Hotel night3-star | GHโต 850$72.6 | R 1,200$68.6 | Durban โ6% |
| Studio rent (month) | GHโต 4,000$342 | R 6,500$371 | Accra โ8% |
| Laundry | GHโต 20$1.71 | R 30$1.71 | similar |
| SIM card1 week data | GHโต 150$12.8 | R 200$11.4 | Durban โ11% |
| Haircutcut | GHโต 40$3.42 | R 90$5.14 | Accra โ34% |
| Massage1 hour | GHโต 300$25.6 | R 450$25.7 | similar |
| Half-day tourper person | GHโต 350$29.9 | R 750$42.9 | Accra โ30% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | GHโต 100$8.54 | R 240$13.7 | Accra โ38% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Accra or Durban?
Accra and Durban cost about the same. Daily budget $126 vs $122; a month $1,647 vs $1,680.
Which is easier to travel, Accra or Durban?
About the same: Accra 2.4/5, Durban 2.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Accra and Durban?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Accra is about $1,647 and Durban about $1,680 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.