Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benin and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Benin: $807 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Jump to prices
🇧🇯 Benin
$807
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,568
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Benin is 30.2% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 48.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Benin is 32.5% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 44.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Benin
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.20 F CFA 3,037
$11.78 R 195
-55.86%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$35.04 F CFA 20.5K
$46.55 R 772
-24.73%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.28 F CFA 5,423
$5.96 R 98.9
55.70%
Cappuccino
$5.30 F CFA 3,096
$2.47 R 41.01
114.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.17 F CFA 681
$1.33 R 22.03
-12.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.28 F CFA 746
$1.03 R 17.08
24.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.90 F CFA 527
$3.01 R 49.98
-70.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.94 F CFA 2,301
$3.66 R 60.8
7.65%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Benin
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.23 F CFA 1,302
$1.39 R 23.08
60.43%
White Bread (500g)
$0.83 F CFA 488
$1.19 R 19.70
-30.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 F CFA 1,082
$2.11 R 35.02
-12.32%
Eggs
$2.15 F CFA 1,259
$3.01 R 49.84
-28.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.50 F CFA 4,385
$8.96 R 149
-16.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.56 F CFA 2,663
$6.65 R 110
-31.43%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.44 F CFA 3,178
$9.29 R 154
-41.44%
Apples (1kg)
$2.90 F CFA 1,693
$1.83 R 30.28
58.47%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 F CFA 711
$1.90 R 31.47
-35.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.19 F CFA 695
$1.75 R 28.98
-32.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.46 F CFA 1,438
$2.09 R 34.59
17.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.30 F CFA 762
$1.55 R 25.78
-16.13%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 F CFA 690
$1.49 R 24.65
-20.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.45 F CFA 265
$1.30 R 21.53
-65.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 F CFA 525
$1.16 R 19.29
-22.41%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.90 F CFA 1,109
$3.71 R 61.5
-48.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.16 F CFA 2,430
$6.06 R 101
-31.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 F CFA 680
$1.39 R 22.97
-16.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 F CFA 978
$2.20 R 36.51
-24.09%
🚌 Getting Around
Benin
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.26 F CFA 734
$1.51 R 25.11
-16.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.49 F CFA 4,376
$61.0 R 1,011
-87.71%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.50 F CFA 878
$0.63 R 10.38
138.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.57 F CFA 918
$1.53 R 25.42
2.61%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$4.81 R 79.8
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 F CFA 694
$1.58 R 26.22
-24.68%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$35.5K R 588.7K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.8K F CFA 13.9M
$31.7K R 526.6K
-24.95%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Benin
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$150 F CFA 87.9K
$116 R 1,930
29.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.34 F CFA 18.9K
$28.37 R 471
13.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$55.3 F CFA 32.3K
$40.69 R 675
36.00%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Benin
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.25 F CFA 22.4K
$48.85 R 810
-21.70%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.21 F CFA 2,460
$11.13 R 185
-62.17%
Cinema Ticket
$8.47 F CFA 4,949
$8.83 R 146
-4.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Benin
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$130 F CFA 76.1K
$261 R 4,336
-50.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,665 F CFA 3.3M
$6,702 R 111.2K
-15.48%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Benin
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$21.79 F CFA 12.7K
$55.4 R 919
-60.67%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$8.76 F CFA 5,123
$32.27 R 535
-72.85%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$30.51 F CFA 17.8K
$118 R 1,949
-74.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$47.00 F CFA 27.5K
$107 R 1,775
-56.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Benin
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$117 F CFA 68.6K
$1,015 R 16.8K
-88.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$120 F CFA 70.1K
$715 R 11.9K
-83.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$406 F CFA 237.5K
$1,801 R 29.9K
-77.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$382 F CFA 223.0K
$1,330 R 22.1K
-71.32%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,331 R 38.7K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,581 F CFA 1.5M
$1,513 R 25.1K
70.61%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Benin
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$279 F CFA 163.2K
$1,636 R 27.1K
-82.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4
10.97
-63.54%

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

Last update for Benin: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Benin
$238
Cape Town
$185 22.1% $53
Groceries & Markets
Benin
$183
Cape Town
$222 21.3% $39
Eating Out
Benin
$155
Cape Town
$174 12% $19
Accommodation & Living
Benin
$120
Cape Town
$715 496% $595
Sport & Entertainment
Benin
$55
Cape Town
$67 20.5% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Benin
$49
Cape Town
$141 189% $92
Getting Around
Benin
$22
Cape Town
$75 245% $53
Good to know
🇧🇯 Benin
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
04:23 4:23 AM
05:23 5:23 AM
1 h ahead of Benin
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
14,111,034
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
West African CFA Franc XOF Fr
South African Rand ZAR R
📈 Exchange rate
1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD
1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR
100 ZAR = 6.03 USD
100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →
On the map
Between locations
  • Benin Cape Town 4,790 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Benin
  • 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

Benin vs other spots: cost of living compared

🇧🇯 Benin
$807
/mo nomad
🇺🇸 United States
$2,785
/mo nomad
🇧🇯 Benin
$807
/mo nomad
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,182
/mo nomad
🇧🇯 Benin
$807
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$380
/mo nomad
🇧🇯 Benin
$807
/mo nomad
🇪🇬 Egypt
$480
/mo nomad
Show more

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