Numbeo has updated its monthly utilities index, and this means it has updated information on just how much bills cost in four of South Africa’s most popular cities. These include Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Pretoria.

Numbeo is the world’s largest cost-of-living database. It makes use of information supplied by citizens living across the globe, and allows you to compare the cost of living in your city with that of someone who lives on the other side of the planet.

Monthly utilities are the group name for electricity, cooling, heating, water, and garbage services. The cost of these range from municipality to municipality, and Numbeo’s latest index examines which cities pay the most for these services.

Durban has surprised many by coming on top of the list with the most expensive utilities, while Cape Town shockingly has the lowest utility costs despite its notoriously high rental prices. Additional data also suggests that Capetonians have the most cost-efficient internet packages in the country.

In terms of cost of living, Johannesburg is the most expensive city to live in, followed by Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town. The Mother City, however, climbs to the top of the list on the Numbeo rental index, far outweighing what other South African cities pay for monthly rent.

Cape Town is also the most expensive city when considering both rent and the cost of living.

Picture: Pixabay

Article written by

Lucinda is a hard news writer who occasionally dabbles in lifestyle writing, and recent journalism graduate. She is a proud intersectional feminist, and is passionate about actively creating a world which is free of discrimination and inequality.