Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barnet and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,870 in Barnet, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

141

Cost of Living Index in Barnet
Learn more

Barnet Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Barnet

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,870

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,870 per month in Barnet vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Barnet $2,870
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $4,261 per month in Barnet vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Barnet $4,261
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $5,652 per month in Barnet vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Barnet $5,652
Cape Town $3,263

Barnet costs about 81% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Barnet and Cape Town sit above the global median – Barnet by 113%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.85 £17.14

$12.14 R 200

88.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 £68.1

$45.34 R 747

100.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.96

$5.88 R 96.9

80.44%

Cappuccino

$5.47 £4.11

$2.50 R 41.18

118.80%

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

$2.90 £2.18

$1.27 R 20.94

128.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 £1.44

$0.98 R 16.14

96.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.75 £5.81

$2.99 R 49.33

159.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 £4.95

$3.72 R 61.4

77.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 £1.22

$1.30 R 21.40

24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 £1.28

$1.25 R 20.68

36.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.47 £1.85

$2.23 R 36.76

10.76%

Eggs

$4.83 £3.62

$3.11 R 51.2

55.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.57 £8.68

$9.06 R 149

27.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.56 £7.92

$6.92 R 114

52.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.86 £12.65

$9.30 R 153

81.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 £2.17

$1.84 R 30.25

57.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.31

$1.96 R 32.29

-10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$1.67 R 27.45

82.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.53 £2.65

$2.17 R 35.70

62.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$1.57 R 25.81

16.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.48 R 24.45

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 £0.92

$1.30 R 21.41

-6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 £1.36

$1.13 R 18.60

60.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.78 £17.84

$3.60 R 59.3

560.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.66 £8.75

$6.15 R 101

89.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.25 £2.44

$1.38 R 22.66

135.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.52 £3.39

$2.14 R 35.20

111.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 £1.71

$1.50 R 24.65

52.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.39 £4.05

$0.59 R 9.71

813.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$1.50 R 24.65

79.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.27 £36.96

$5.11 R 84.2

864.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.14 £1.60

$1.55 R 25.50

38.06%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$36.2K R 596.5K

3.45%

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

$41.0K £30.7K

$31.2K R 514.8K

31.13%

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

$340 £255

$114 R 1,883

197.14%

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

$18.10 £13.58

$28.91 R 476

-37.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.24 £30.94

$39.73 R 654

3.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$17.01 £12.76

$9.15 R 151

85.90%

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

$2,583 £1,938

$259 R 4,264

897.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$34.8K £26.1K

$6,794 R 111.9K

412.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 £67.4

$56.2 R 926

59.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.85 £35.90

$32.41 R 534

47.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.3 £70.0

$121 R 1,987

-22.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 £94.4

$108 R 1,781

16.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 £1,461

$1,021 R 16.8K

90.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,557 £1,168

$717 R 11.8K

117.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,311 £2,484

$1,824 R 30.1K

81.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,802 £2,102

$1,327 R 21.9K

111.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$14.3K £10.7K

$2,391 R 39.4K

497.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.9K £10.5K

$1,542 R 25.4K

804.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,612 £1,959

$1,639 R 27.0K

59.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

10.97

-56.79%

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

Last update for Barnet: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barnet

$1.6K 54.3%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 54% $840

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barnet

$399 13.9%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 54.1% $216

Eating Out

Barnet

$352 12.3%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 49.9% $175

Groceries & Markets

Barnet

$340 11.8%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 33.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Barnet

$161 5.6%

Cape Town

$143 9% 11.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Barnet

$34 * 1.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 97.9% $33

Getting Around

Barnet

$28 * 1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 167% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,947 in Barnet 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.

Salaries run about 59% higher in Barnet, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Barnet versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $340 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Barnet

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:59 3:59 PM

16:59 4:59 PM

1 h ahead of Barnet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,973

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

Barnet Cape Town 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Barnet
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

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

Yes – Barnet is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,305 per month in Barnet 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 Cape Town, 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 $91.0 in Barnet and $45.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Barnet, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Barnet at $2,870. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barnet it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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