Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arrest and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,809 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,809

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,809 in Arrest versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Arrest $1,809
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,758 in Arrest versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Arrest $2,758
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,707 in Arrest versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Arrest $3,707
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Arrest is roughly 18% 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: Arrest 34% above, Cape Town 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.97 €15.11

$12.01 R 198

41.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.4 €50.2

$42.92 R 707

31.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.19 €11.74

$6.15 R 101

114.47%

Cappuccino

$2.98 €2.65

$2.37 R 39.04

25.74%

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

$3.17 €2.82

$1.27 R 20.96

149.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.94 R 15.46

119.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.24 €7.34

$2.96 R 48.77

178.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.45 €4.85

$3.69 R 60.8

47.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.32 R 21.73

-1.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.21 R 19.87

46.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$2.20 R 36.26

16.36%

Eggs

$3.78 €3.37

$3.10 R 51.1

21.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.08 €8.98

$8.73 R 144

15.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.05 €10.73

$6.89 R 114

74.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.06 €14.30

$9.26 R 153

73.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.83 R 30.08

63.93%

Banana (1kg)

$3.05 €2.72

$1.95 R 32.12

56.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.66 R 27.32

-11.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.16 €3.70

$2.14 R 35.19

94.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 €1.60

$1.58 R 26.01

13.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.47 R 24.29

39.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.35 R 22.18

21.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.13 €0.11

$1.14 R 18.85

-88.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.60 €11.22

$3.58 R 59.0

251.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.43 €4.84

$6.05 R 99.7

-10.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.39 R 22.95

6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.18 R 35.90

-24.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.40 R 23.02

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.92 €43.56

$60.8 R 1,001

-19.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 €1.98

$0.93 R 15.26

139.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.15 €1.02

$0.90 R 14.83

27.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.27 €28.73

$4.96 R 81.7

550.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.54 R 25.37

36.36%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-3.50%

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

$35.2K €31.4K

$33.4K R 549.9K

5.53%

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

$207 €184

$117 R 1,929

76.49%

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

$32.73 €29.14

$25.71 R 424

27.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.60 €29.03

$39.41 R 649

-17.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.95 €31.12

$51.6 R 850

-32.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$15.84 €14.10

$8.89 R 146

78.18%

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

$891 €794

$308 R 5,069

189.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,516

$8,141 R 134.2K

31.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 €111

$57.4 R 946

116.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.30 €40.34

$31.75 R 523

42.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$116 R 1,911

-12.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$157 €139

$101 R 1,660

55.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$755 €672

$1,047 R 17.2K

-27.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$635 €566

$669 R 11.0K

-5.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,435 €1,278

$1,861 R 30.7K

-22.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 €1,034

$1,407 R 23.2K

-17.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,240 €3,776

$2,410 R 39.7K

75.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,165 €2,818

$1,570 R 25.9K

101.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

10.89

-64.19%

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

Last update for Arrest: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arrest

$635 35.1%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 5.3% $34

Groceries & Markets

Arrest

$294 16.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 24% $71

Eating Out

Arrest

$284 15.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 38.7% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arrest

$272 15%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 33% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Arrest

$192 10.6%

Cape Town

$138 9% 28.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Arrest

$67 3.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 4.2% $2.8

Getting Around

Arrest

$65 3.6%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 10.9% $7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $755 in Arrest and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $56 in Arrest vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $294 vs $223 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Arrest

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h ahead of Arrest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arrest Cape Town 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Arrest
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

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

Cape Town is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,714 in Arrest and $2,291 in Cape Town to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $755 in Arrest versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $891 in Arrest versus $308 in Cape Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Arrest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cape Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.