Climate
Durban logs 243 sunny days a year to Port Elizabeth's 275 — Port Elizabeth wins by 32. Durban also leads on outdoor-dinner months by 5.
Durban
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Port Elizabeth
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Durban averages $1,264/mo for balanced living; Port Elizabeth has no cost baseline yet.
Durban
$1,264monthly · balanced
Mobility
Durban scores 2.0 on mobility (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no mobility baseline.
Culture
Durban's culture score of 2.9 sits well above Port Elizabeth's 0.0.
Nature & Outdoors
Durban scores 4.0 on nature & outdoors (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no nature & outdoors baseline.
Safety
Durban scores 0.6 on safety (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no safety baseline.
Career
Durban scores 2.8 on career (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no career baseline.
Social & Community
Durban scores 3.2 on social & community (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no social & community baseline.
Food & Dining
Durban scores 3.0 on food & dining (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no food & dining baseline.
Family
Durban scores 2.7 on family (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no family baseline.
Healthcare
Durban scores 2.7 on healthcare (0–5 scale); Port Elizabeth has no healthcare baseline.
Air Quality
Durban averages 15.4 µg/m³ (sensitive-groups) PM2.5 annually versus Port Elizabeth's 7.3 µg/m³ (good) — Port Elizabeth breathes ~53% cleaner air (8.1 µg/m³ lower).
Durban
Port Elizabeth
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 Port Elizabeth (806K) are 4.1x in population — Durban is the larger metro, Port Elizabeth the smaller; on land area Durban spans roughly 3.7x more ground.
Durban is roughly 3.9x the scale of Port Elizabeth
Combined population & area comparison
DurbanPort ElizabethCity Scale Rankings
Durban3.3M4.1xPort Elizabeth806K1xDurban807 km²3.7xPort Elizabeth217 km²1xDurban
Port Elizabeth
Who Thrives Here
Durban is the stronger fit for the ocean lover. Both cities work well for the clean air seeker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Durban vs Port Elizabeth
▶Which is cheaper, Durban or Port Elizabeth?
▶How does the climate compare between Durban and Port Elizabeth?
▶Is Durban or Port Elizabeth safer?
▶Should I move to Durban or Port Elizabeth?
The best city depends on what matters to you
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