Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barretos and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Barretos: $786 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Barretos
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Barretos Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Barretos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$786

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $786 per month in Barretos vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Barretos $786
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,264 per month in Barretos vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Barretos $1,264
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,742 per month in Barretos vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Barretos $1,742
Cape Town $3,306

Barretos is about 49% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Barretos sits 42% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.48 R$35.39

$12.01 R 197

-46.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.43 R$123

$42.92 R 703

-47.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.90 R$32.26

$6.15 R 101

-4.07%

Cappuccino

$1.53 R$8.36

$2.37 R 38.81

-35.44%

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

$1.19 R$6.48

$1.27 R 20.84

-6.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 R$2.95

$0.94 R 15.37

-42.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 R$12.38

$2.96 R 48.48

-23.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$15.01

$3.69 R 60.5

-25.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$5.17

$1.32 R 21.61

-28.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 R$10.14

$1.21 R 19.75

53.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.72

$2.20 R 36.05

-44.09%

Eggs

$2.30 R$12.57

$3.10 R 50.8

-25.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 R$55.4

$8.73 R 143

16.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$24.07

$6.89 R 113

-35.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 R$55.2

$9.26 R 152

9.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 R$12.14

$1.83 R 29.90

21.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.30

$1.95 R 31.94

-22.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.70

$1.66 R 27.16

-15.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.91

$2.14 R 34.99

-41.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.69

$1.58 R 25.86

-22.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.16 R$6.36

$1.47 R 24.15

-21.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 R$4.95

$1.35 R 22.05

-32.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 R$4.12

$1.14 R 18.75

-34.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 R$12.82

$3.58 R 58.6

-34.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 R$42.47

$6.05 R 99.2

28.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 R$7.67

$1.39 R 22.82

0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 R$12.83

$2.18 R 35.69

7.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.48

$1.40 R 22.88

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.65 R$228

$60.8 R 995

-31.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R$5.94

$0.93 R 15.18

17.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.93

$0.90 R 14.75

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 R$43.16

$4.96 R 81.3

59.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 R$4.78

$1.54 R 25.23

-43.51%

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

$22.1K R$120.6K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-37.60%

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

$31.4K R$171.4K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-5.98%

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

$28.27 R$154

$117 R 1,918

-75.85%

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

$5.57 R$30.41

$25.71 R 421

-78.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.98 R$81.9

$39.41 R 646

-61.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.15 R$127

$51.6 R 846

-55.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.47 R$139

$11.35 R 186

124.41%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 R$40.94

$8.89 R 146

-15.75%

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

$401 R$2,194

$308 R 5,040

30.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K R$55.9K

$8,141 R 133.4K

25.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 R$333

$57.4 R 940

6.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.28 R$122

$31.75 R 520

-29.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.6 R$451

$116 R 1,900

-28.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.3 R$352

$101 R 1,650

-36.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 R$1,832

$1,047 R 17.1K

-67.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$231 R$1,259

$669 R 11.0K

-65.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$636 R$3,473

$1,861 R 30.5K

-65.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 R$2,456

$1,407 R 23.1K

-68.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,579 R$8,625

$2,410 R 39.5K

-34.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,130 R$6,174

$1,570 R 25.7K

-28.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$532 R$2,907

$1,630 R 26.7K

-67.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

10.89

-0.73%

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

Last update for Barretos: 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

Barretos

$230 29.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 190% $439

Groceries & Markets

Barretos

$203 25.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 10% $20

Eating Out

Barretos

$112 14.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 55.9% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Barretos

$104 13.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 32.9% $34

Getting Around

Barretos

$50 6.4%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 42.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barretos

$49 6.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 273% $133

Sport & Entertainment

Barretos

$38 4.9%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 81.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $335 in Barretos versus $1,047 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 in Cape Town are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Barretos versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $223 – making Barretos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barretos

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

21:33 9:33 PM

02:33 2:33 AM

5 h ahead of Barretos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,485

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.13 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barretos Cape Town 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barretos
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $786 in Barretos, $1,527 in Cape Town – Barretos comes out roughly 49% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,179 per month in Barretos and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barretos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Barretos and $43 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 $786 in Barretos and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Barretos about 49% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Barretos, where all-in costs run around $786, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Barretos 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 $786 in Barretos to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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