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Cost of Living in Cape Town

Whether you’re retiring, temporarily relocating, or moving to Cape Town for good, it’s helpful to have a picture of what life there will cost as an expat. Using Wise could help you reduce your overall costs. Now you can send, receive, and organise your money internationally, without hefty fees.

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Compare the cost of living by city in South Africa

This is a breakdown showing the living expenses in South Africa by city. Major cities usually have a higher cost of living than smaller cities. The average cost of living is about 34.5 as of August 2024, taking into account the most common and unavoidable costs such as housing, food, transport and more.

CityCOL IndexRent Index

35.6

10.5

33.5

13.3

33.5

17.2

33.1

10.3

30.8

9.5

Calculate the cost for living in South Africa

Use our currency exchange calculator to figure out your costs in your preferred currency. Understand the mid-market exchange rate for your currency pair to make sure you get a fair deal when you send, spend or convert currencies.

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Average living cost in Cape Town

CategoryLocal currencyRange

Restaurants

Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant

150.00 R

100.00-250.00

Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course

700.00 R

500.00-1,200.00

McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)

90.00 R

80.00-100.00

Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)

45.00 R

30.00-70.00

Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)

50.00 R

35.00-85.00

Cappuccino (regular)

38.29 R

25.00-50.00

Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)

17.47 R

12.00-30.00

Water (12 oz small bottle)

13.28 R

10.00-20.00

Markets

Milk (regular), (1 gallon)

72.27 R

55.08-113.52

Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)

17.02 R

11.34-19.96

Rice (white), (1 lb)

13.66 R

9.07-19.05

Eggs (regular) (12)

44.05 R

28.00-59.98

Local Cheese (1 lb)

66.97 R

45.35-90.72

Chicken Fillets (1 lb)

41.17 R

27.22-62.60

Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)

55.37 R

38.56-81.65

Apples (1 lb)

12.62 R

8.16-15.88

Banana (1 lb)

12.93 R

7.71-18.14

Oranges (1 lb)

11.56 R

5.89-22.68

Tomato (1 lb)

12.26 R

8.16-15.42

Potato (1 lb)

10.04 R

4.54-18.14

Onion (1 lb)

10.46 R

7.71-14.51

Lettuce (1 head)

19.31 R

15.00-25.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

16.77 R

13.00-20.00

Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)

100.00 R

60.00-150.00

Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

23.79 R

14.15-40.00

Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)

28.96 R

17.00-50.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)

52.00 R

48.00-65.00

Transportation

One-way Ticket (Local Transport)

20.00 R

15.00-30.00

Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

850.00 R

400.00-990.00

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

20.00 R

10.00-35.00

Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)

28.16 R

19.31-48.28

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

80.00 R

48.00-100.00

Gasoline (1 gallon)

90.45 R

86.65-100.54

Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)

350,000.00 R

250,000.00-450,000.00

Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)

410,808.93 R

350,000.00-512,000.00

Utilities (Monthly)

Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment

1,665.17 R

1,020.00-2,614.09

Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data

612.30 R

250.00-1,100.00

Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)

770.18 R

550.00-1,000.00

Sports And Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult

675.45 R

299.00-1,345.00

Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)

135.62 R

50.00-250.00

Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat

120.00 R

87.00-180.00

Childcare

Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child

3,488.64 R

2,000.00-5,600.00

International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child

78,437.44 R

50,000.00-110,000.00

1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

910.28 R

600.00-1,200.00

1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)

532.69 R

330.00-800.00

1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)

1,766.07 R

1,200.00-2,500.00

1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes

1,319.08 R

650.00-2,000.00

Rent per month

Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre

13,015.62 R

10,000.00-18,000.00

Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre

8,717.24 R

7,000.00-13,500.00

Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre

26,703.70 R

20,000.00-50,000.00

Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre

17,482.14 R

15,000.00-25,000.00

Buy Apartment Price

Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre

3,319.51 R

2,787.07-4,645.11

Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre

2,174.07 R

1,404.34-3,344.48

Salaries And Financing

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

27,525.51 R

Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate

11.75

10.50-15.00

Source: Numbeo, Cost of living comparison. Checked August 2024.

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