Cost of Living in Cape Town

Summary about cost of living in Cape Town, South Africa:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 150.00 R 80.00-276.19
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 600.00 R 450.00-1,067.92
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 75.00 R 60.00-85.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 40.00 R 25.00-50.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 45.00 R 30.00-65.00
Cappuccino (regular) 32.17 R 23.00-40.00
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 15.34 R 12.00-25.00
Water (12 oz small bottle) 11.50 R 9.00-20.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 68.76 R 45.42-109.78
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 15.90 R 11.79-22.68
Rice (white), (1 lb) 11.70 R 6.12-19.05
Eggs (regular) (12) 32.99 R 18.00-50.00
Local Cheese (1 lb) 55.34 R 36.29-90.72
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 35.54 R 18.14-54.43
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 52.83 R 36.29-72.57
Apples (1 lb) 11.87 R 7.25-15.88
Banana (1 lb) 11.78 R 7.21-20.41
Oranges (1 lb) 10.68 R 5.44-24.95
Tomato (1 lb) 11.44 R 7.71-15.88
Potato (1 lb) 8.77 R 3.63-14.92
Onion (1 lb) 9.36 R 4.54-13.61
Lettuce (1 head) 18.02 R 12.00-25.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 15.52 R 12.00-20.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 80.00 R 50.00-120.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 23.46 R 12.00-40.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 31.71 R 15.00-55.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 50.00 R 44.00-60.00
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 20.00 R 15.00-35.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 560.87 R 350.00-869.57
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 17.00 R 10.00-35.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 19.31 R 16.09-32.19
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 48.00 R 35.00-60.00
Gasoline (1 gallon) 89.43 R 79.49-99.59
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 320,000.00 R 250,000.00-437,900.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 372,471.43 R 300,000.00-450,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 1,317.13 R 900.00-2,236.84
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) 1.49 R 0.79-2.20
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 792.88 R 599.99-1,000.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 669.74 R 250.00-1,200.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 157.81 R 50.00-300.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 100.00 R 80.00-150.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 3,399.02 R 2,500.00-5,000.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 75,323.81 R 60,000.00-120,000.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 829.46 R 499.99-1,099.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 553.00 R 300.00-800.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 1,553.66 R 899.00-2,000.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 1,386.03 R 700.00-2,200.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 11,908.54 R 8,000.00-17,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 8,035.00 R 6,000.00-12,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 24,573.68 R 17,500.00-35,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 16,273.81 R 12,000.00-24,000.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 3,386.37 R 2,787.07-4,645.11
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 2,235.17 R 1,393.53-3,251.58
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 23,505.11 R
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 9.11 7.50-12.00

Prices in Cape Town

This city had 3043 entries in the past 12 months by 298 different contributors.
Last update: March 2023
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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5 Comments so far
Anonymous on Nov 08, 2022:
Violence against foreigners is at a premium throughout south Africa.Foreigners are double charged for most everything.We lived in Capetown 2 years then left wouldn't recommend it.
Kim on Dec 27, 2021:
I agree with Anonymous below (Sep, 2021) regarding single person living expenses.

1. decent medical aid with gap cover which you CANNOT do without in S.A min R1000- 1500 pm
2. Transport - assuming your car is paid off (if not, up to R2500-R3000 p/m to pay off), car insurance (R500-R1500 depending on the car), R2000 average for petrol (depending where you work and socialise)
3. Atleast R3000 - R5000 p/m on food/toiletries/cleaning agents/entertainment/domestic workers (movies/entrance fees/restaurants etc)
4. R1000 for clothes/makeup/home decor items
5. Other charges - R200 mobile phone, Wifi R500 (depending on package), lights and water (approx R500-R1000), rates and levies if you own a home? Vehicle servicing (Budgets another R200 or so a month).
Anonymous on Sep 07, 2021:
Your estimates of monthly expenditure are way out. I challenge you to live on R8611pm without rent (in Cape Town). This is very misleading.
Matthew on Mar 31, 2021:
Hello, I think that this website has given me good information for a project on Cape Town
Cal Winters on Mar 17, 2019:
Rental costs in Cape Town are close to international major city prices, with a steep drop-off the moment you get away from the "Cape Town" people talk about (City Bowl, Atlantic Coast or just east of table mountain e.g Constantia, Kirstenbosch, Newlands, etc). If you're planning to move to Cape Town, it's the "international" prices you'll pay, unless you plan to live out of the city and commute - the distinction is a bit like San Francisco - don't confuse "Bay Area" with the city.

Here are some live listings of apartments in the City Bowl:

https://www.privateproperty.co.za/to-rent/western-cape/cape-town/cape-town-city-bowl/cape-town-city-centre/436

1 Bedroom apartments are going for as much as R20,000/mo and tiny studios can be well over R10,000/mo.

3 Bedroom places go for anywhere between R25,000/mo and R45,000+/mo. If you want somewhere "nice", you'll be up the top end of that scale and beyond.

Outside Cape Town, prices drop off dramatically for just about everything. Can't help but think those prices are pulling almost everything in this list down. Having lived in San Francsico, London and Melbourne, (the best of) Cape Town is certainly cheaper, but not by a lot.

It'd be great if the prices quoted on Numbeo were what you could expect, but unless you're living "out the city" (i.e. outside of what people _mean_ when they're talking about the "Cape Town" you want to live in/visit), good luck finding a place even close to Numbeo's estimates.