Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Abingdon-on-Thames and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,186 in Abingdon-on-Thames, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Abingdon-on-Thames
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Abingdon-on-Thames Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Abingdon-on-Thames

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,186

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Abingdon-on-Thames and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Abingdon-on-Thames and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,186 in Abingdon-on-Thames versus $1,586 in Cape Town.

Abingdon-on-Thames $2,186
Cape Town $1,586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,306 in Abingdon-on-Thames versus $2,425 in Cape Town.

Abingdon-on-Thames $3,306
Cape Town $2,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,425 in Abingdon-on-Thames versus $3,263 in Cape Town.

Abingdon-on-Thames $4,425
Cape Town $3,263

Living in Abingdon-on-Thames is roughly 38% more expensive than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Abingdon-on-Thames 62% above, Cape Town 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.52 £14.64

$12.14 R 200

60.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.8 £59.9

$45.34 R 747

75.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 £7.89

$5.88 R 96.9

78.91%

Cappuccino

$3.85 £2.89

$2.50 R 41.18

54.00%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 £1.81

$1.27 R 20.94

89.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 £1.51

$0.98 R 16.14

105.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 £4.15

$2.99 R 49.33

84.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 £4.13

$3.72 R 61.4

47.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.30 R 21.40

12.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 £1.43

$1.25 R 20.68

52.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.76 £2.07

$2.23 R 36.76

23.77%

Eggs

$4.11 £3.08

$3.11 R 51.2

32.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 £6.86

$9.06 R 149

0.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.86 £5.90

$6.92 R 114

13.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 £12.53

$9.30 R 153

79.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.24

$1.84 R 30.25

62.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$1.96 R 32.29

-17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 £1.96

$1.67 R 27.45

56.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 £2.64

$2.17 R 35.70

61.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 £0.90

$1.57 R 25.81

-23.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.48 R 24.45

22.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 £0.98

$1.30 R 21.41

0.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.13 R 18.60

10.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.63 £17.73

$3.60 R 59.3

556.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.05 £7.54

$6.15 R 101

63.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.38 R 22.66

42.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 £2.26

$2.14 R 35.20

41.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.47 £2.61

$1.50 R 24.65

131.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.8 £71.1

$60.8 R 1,001

56.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.03 £3.02

$0.59 R 9.71

583.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.04 £3.03

$1.50 R 24.65

169.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.99 £24.00

$5.11 R 84.2

526.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.55 R 25.50

19.35%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$37.3K £27.9K

$36.2K R 596.5K

2.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$40.5K £30.4K

$31.2K R 514.8K

29.73%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$196 £147

$114 R 1,883

71.29%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.42 £13.07

$28.91 R 476

-39.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.90 £32.94

$39.73 R 654

10.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.48 £34.12

$49.01 R 808

-7.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$13.37 £10.03

$9.15 R 151

46.12%

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

$1,810 £1,358

$259 R 4,264

599.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K £16.8K

$6,794 R 111.9K

228.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.1 £54.8

$56.2 R 926

30.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.61 £24.47

$32.41 R 534

0.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 £54.2

$121 R 1,987

-40.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 £83.1

$108 R 1,781

2.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 £897

$1,021 R 16.8K

17.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,009 £757

$717 R 11.8K

40.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,121 £1,591

$1,824 R 30.1K

16.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,773 £1,330

$1,327 R 21.9K

33.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,081 £3,812

$2,391 R 39.4K

112.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,846 £2,886

$1,542 R 25.4K

149.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,596 £2,698

$1,639 R 27.0K

119.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.21

10.97

-52.51%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Abingdon-on-Thames: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Abingdon-on-Thames

$1K 46.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 29% $292

Groceries & Markets

Abingdon-on-Thames

$294 13.5%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 23.5% $69

Eating Out

Abingdon-on-Thames

$290 13.3%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 39.3% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Abingdon-on-Thames

$257 11.8%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 28.8% $74

Getting Around

Abingdon-on-Thames

$133 6.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 43.7% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Abingdon-on-Thames

$130 5.9%

Cape Town

$143 9% 9.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Abingdon-on-Thames

$72 3.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 6.8% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,196 in Abingdon-on-Thames and $1,021 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abingdon-on-Thames pays 119% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $80.0 in Abingdon-on-Thames vs $45.00 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $225 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Abingdon-on-Thames

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

12:33 12:33 PM

13:33 1:33 PM

1 h ahead of Abingdon-on-Thames

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,676

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Abingdon-on-Thames Cape Town 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Abingdon-on-Thames
Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Abingdon-on-Thames vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town wins on cost – living expenses run 38% lower than in Abingdon-on-Thames. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cape Town the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 119% higher in Abingdon-on-Thames, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,196 in Abingdon-on-Thames versus $1,021 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 31% higher in Abingdon-on-Thames. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Town – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $80.0 in Abingdon-on-Thames. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,586 in Cape Town versus $2,186 in Abingdon-on-Thames, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cape Town but tight or insufficient in Abingdon-on-Thames. The gap between the two cities makes Cape Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cape Town delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,586 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cape Town hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Abingdon-on-Thames and Cape Town are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cape Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Abingdon-on-Thames. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.