Climate
Durban logs 5 outdoor-dinner months a year to Pietermaritzburg's 1 — Durban wins by 4. Durban also leads on hot days by 27.
Durban
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Pietermaritzburg
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Durban averages $1,264/mo for balanced living; Pietermaritzburg has no cost baseline yet.
Durban
$1,264monthly · balanced
Mobility
Durban scores 2.0 on mobility (0–5 scale); Pietermaritzburg has no mobility baseline.
Culture
Durban's culture score of 2.9 sits well above Pietermaritzburg's 0.0.
Nature & Outdoors
Durban scores 4.0 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Pietermaritzburg has no nature & outdoors baseline.
Safety
Durban scores 0.6 on safety (0–5 scale); Pietermaritzburg has no safety baseline.
Career
Durban scores 2.8 on career (0–5 scale); Pietermaritzburg has no career baseline.
Social & Community
Durban scores 3.2 on social & community (0–5 scale); Pietermaritzburg has no social & community baseline.
Food & Dining
Durban scores 3.0 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Pietermaritzburg has no food & dining baseline.
Family
Durban scores 2.7 on family (0–5 scale); Pietermaritzburg has no family baseline.
Healthcare
Durban scores 2.7 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Pietermaritzburg has no healthcare baseline.
Air Quality
Durban averages 15.4 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus Pietermaritzburg's 16.5 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) — Durban breathes ~7% cleaner air (1.1 µg/m³ lower).
Durban
Pietermaritzburg
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Durban (3.3M) and Pietermaritzburg (485K) are 6.7x in population — Durban is the larger metro, Pietermaritzburg the smaller; on land area Durban spans roughly 5.5x more ground.
Durban is roughly 6.1x the scale of Pietermaritzburg
Combined population & area comparison
DurbanPietermaritzburgCity Scale Rankings
Durban3.3M6.7xPietermaritzburg485K1xDurban807 km²5.5xPietermaritzburg147 km²1xDurban
Pietermaritzburg
Who Thrives Here
Durban is the stronger fit for the ocean lover. Both cities work well for the winter escapist.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Durban vs Pietermaritzburg
▶Which is cheaper, Durban or Pietermaritzburg?
▶How does the climate compare between Durban and Pietermaritzburg?
▶Is Durban or Pietermaritzburg safer?
▶Should I move to Durban or Pietermaritzburg?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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