Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $549 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $549 per month in Arusha vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Arusha $549
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $888 per month in Arusha vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Arusha $888
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,228 per month in Arusha vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Arusha $1,228
Cape Town $3,263

Arusha is about 65% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arusha sits 59% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,723

$12.14 R 200

-72.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

$45.34 R 747

-39.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

$5.88 R 96.9

55.10%

Cappuccino

$1.70 TZS 4,443

$2.50 R 41.18

-32.00%

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

$0.92 TZS 2,421

$1.27 R 20.94

-27.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 851

$0.98 R 16.14

-67.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 TZS 2,653

$2.99 R 49.33

-66.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 TZS 7,336

$3.72 R 61.4

-24.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 TZS 2,522

$1.30 R 21.40

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 TZS 1,798

$1.25 R 20.68

-44.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 TZS 4,554

$2.23 R 36.76

-21.97%

Eggs

$1.75 TZS 4,573

$3.11 R 51.2

-43.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 TZS 5,802

$1.84 R 30.25

20.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 TZS 2,021

$2.17 R 35.70

-64.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,272

$1.57 R 25.81

-68.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,686

$1.48 R 24.45

-30.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 TZS 2,229

$1.13 R 18.60

-24.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 TZS 4,015

$3.60 R 59.3

-57.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 TZS 2,444

$1.38 R 22.66

-32.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 TZS 2,417

$2.14 R 35.20

-57.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 503

$1.50 R 24.65

-87.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

$5.11 R 84.2

49.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 TZS 3,259

$1.55 R 25.50

-20.00%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

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

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

$114 R 1,883

-74.97%

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

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

$28.91 R 476

-70.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

$39.73 R 654

17.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

$49.01 R 808

33.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

$9.15 R 151

-48.74%

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

$259 R 4,264

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

$6,794 R 111.9K

13.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 TZS 747.5K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-72.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 TZS 611.7K

$717 R 11.8K

-67.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 TZS 1.3M

$1,824 R 30.1K

-73.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 TZS 1.4M

$1,327 R 21.9K

-60.41%

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)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Arusha: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arusha

$234 42.6%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 207% $483

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.4%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 95.7% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$84 15.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 118% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 10% $7.5

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$66 * 12%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 243% $159

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 9616% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Cape Town

$143 9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $285 in Arusha versus $1,021 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $66.0 vs $225 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:39 3:39 PM

14:39 2:39 PM

1 h behind Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,945 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arusha Cape Town 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $549 in Arusha, $1,586 in Cape Town – roughly 189% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $823 per month in Arusha and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha and $45.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $549 in Arusha and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 189%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $549, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $549 in Arusha to $1,586 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Arusha. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.