Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Andover and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,503 in Andover, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Andover
Learn more

Andover Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Andover

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,503

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Andover 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 Andover and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,503 in Andover versus $1,586 in Cape Town.

Andover $2,503
Cape Town $1,586

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,471 in Andover versus $2,425 in Cape Town.

Andover $3,471
Cape Town $2,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,440 in Andover versus $3,263 in Cape Town.

Andover $4,440
Cape Town $3,263

Living in Andover is roughly 58% more expensive than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Andover 85% above, Cape Town 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.71 £9.53

$12.14 R 200

4.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.44 £29.59

$45.34 R 747

-13.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.45 £7.84

$5.88 R 96.9

77.72%

Cappuccino

$4.53 £3.40

$2.50 R 41.18

81.20%

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

$1.92 £1.44

$1.27 R 20.94

51.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$0.98 R 16.14

51.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.37 £3.28

$2.99 R 49.33

46.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 £4.28

$3.72 R 61.4

53.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.30 R 21.40

30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 £1.19

$1.25 R 20.68

26.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$2.23 R 36.76

-15.25%

Eggs

$4.27 £3.21

$3.11 R 51.2

37.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.96 £8.97

$9.06 R 149

32.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 £6.41

$6.92 R 114

23.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.81 £11.11

$9.30 R 153

59.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.45 £2.59

$1.84 R 30.25

87.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.96 R 32.29

-13.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 £1.95

$1.67 R 27.45

55.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 £2.31

$2.17 R 35.70

41.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.57 R 25.81

11.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.48 R 24.45

-15.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.30 R 21.41

-6.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.13 R 18.60

46.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.98 £16.49

$3.60 R 59.3

510.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 £8.30

$6.15 R 101

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.68 £2.01

$1.38 R 22.66

94.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 £1.38

$2.14 R 35.20

-14.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 £2.45

$1.50 R 24.65

118.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.60 £35.71

$60.8 R 1,001

-21.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 £3.66

$0.59 R 9.71

725.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.22 £2.42

$1.50 R 24.65

114.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.91 £31.44

$5.11 R 84.2

720.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.57

$1.55 R 25.50

34.84%

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

$35.6K £26.7K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-1.72%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$31.2K R 514.8K

30.99%

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

$341 £256

$114 R 1,883

198.70%

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

$17.90 £13.43

$28.91 R 476

-38.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.97 £32.98

$39.73 R 654

10.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.41 £32.56

$49.01 R 808

-11.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.27 £6.95

$10.99 R 181

-15.65%

Cinema Ticket

$14.37 £10.78

$9.15 R 151

57.05%

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

$2,264 £1,698

$259 R 4,264

774.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K £11.3K

$6,794 R 111.9K

122.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.7 £64.3

$56.2 R 926

52.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.03 £35.29

$32.41 R 534

45.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 £68.3

$121 R 1,987

-24.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.4 £46.83

$108 R 1,781

-42.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,385 £1,039

$1,021 R 16.8K

35.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,277 £958

$717 R 11.8K

78.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,912 £1,435

$1,824 R 30.1K

4.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,040 £1,530

$1,327 R 21.9K

53.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,943 £2,208

$1,639 R 27.0K

79.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.25

10.97

-61.26%

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

Last update for Andover: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Andover

$1.3K 51%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 43.9% $560

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Andover

$403 16.1%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 54.6% $220

Groceries & Markets

Andover

$305 12.2%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 26.4% $81

Eating Out

Andover

$234 9.4%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 24.8% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Andover

$129 5.2%

Cape Town

$143 9% 10.8% $14

Getting Around

Andover

$82 3.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 8.4% $6.8

Sport & Entertainment

Andover

$72 2.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 6.7% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,385 in Andover and $1,021 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Andover pays 80% 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: $39.00 in Andover vs $45.00 in Cape Town. Groceries flip the comparison at $305 vs $225, with Cape Town cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Andover

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

13:31 1:31 PM

1 h ahead of Andover

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,851

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

Andover Cape Town 9,660 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Andover
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

Andover vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Andover and Cape Town differ by about 58% in total monthly costs ($2,503 vs $1,586 including rent). Cape Town is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 80% higher in Andover, 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: $1,385 in Andover versus $1,021 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,503 per month in Andover versus $1,586 in Cape Town – a 58% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cape Town runs roughly 28% less than in Andover. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,586 in Cape Town versus $2,503 in Andover, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cape Town but tight or insufficient in Andover. The gap between the two cities makes Cape Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Andover 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 58% less than in Andover. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.