Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bethlehem and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Bethlehem and in Cape Town: $1,603 and $1,586 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem
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Bethlehem Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bethlehem

🇵🇸 Palestine

$1,603

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,603 per month in Bethlehem vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bethlehem $1,603
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,491 per month in Bethlehem vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bethlehem $2,491
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,378 per month in Bethlehem vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bethlehem $3,378
Cape Town $3,263

Bethlehem costs about 1% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bethlehem and Cape Town sit above the global median – Bethlehem by 19%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 ₪34.98

$12.14 R 200

-7.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.54 ₪154

$45.34 R 747

9.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.10 ₪43.86

$5.88 R 96.9

139.80%

Cappuccino

$4.63 ₪14.42

$2.50 R 41.18

85.20%

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

$1.29 ₪4.00

$1.27 R 20.94

1.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ₪3.16

$0.98 R 16.14

4.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 ₪18.80

$2.99 R 49.33

102.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 ₪25.60

$3.72 R 61.4

121.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ₪6.17

$1.30 R 21.40

52.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₪2.81

$1.25 R 20.68

-28.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 ₪7.14

$2.23 R 36.76

2.69%

Eggs

$2.62 ₪8.15

$3.11 R 51.2

-15.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.46 ₪32.53

$9.06 R 149

15.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.61 ₪29.91

$6.92 R 114

38.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.63 ₪64.2

$9.30 R 153

121.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.84 ₪11.96

$1.84 R 30.25

108.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 ₪6.51

$1.96 R 32.29

6.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 ₪5.15

$1.67 R 27.45

-1.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.49 ₪7.76

$2.17 R 35.70

14.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 ₪4.43

$1.57 R 25.81

-9.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 ₪5.13

$1.48 R 24.45

11.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 ₪5.04

$1.30 R 21.41

24.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ₪3.18

$1.13 R 18.60

-9.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.15 ₪31.58

$3.60 R 59.3

181.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.37 ₪44.72

$6.15 R 101

133.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 ₪7.25

$1.38 R 22.66

68.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ₪7.21

$2.14 R 35.20

8.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 ₪7.64

$1.50 R 24.65

64.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$145 ₪453

$60.8 R 1,001

139.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.27 ₪10.16

$0.59 R 9.71

454.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 ₪10.07

$1.50 R 24.65

116.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 ₪10.02

$5.11 R 84.2

-36.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.38 ₪7.42

$1.55 R 25.50

53.55%

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

$40.3K ₪125.5K

$36.2K R 596.5K

11.39%

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

$48.5K ₪150.9K

$31.2K R 514.8K

55.26%

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

$196 ₪609

$114 R 1,883

71.25%

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

$39.23 ₪122

$28.91 R 476

35.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.64 ₪102

$39.73 R 654

-17.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.1 ₪203

$49.01 R 808

32.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.04 ₪103

$10.99 R 181

200.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.97 ₪24.81

$9.15 R 151

-12.90%

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

$99.0 ₪308

$259 R 4,264

-61.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,882 ₪30.7K

$6,794 R 111.9K

45.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.66 ₪151

$56.2 R 926

-13.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$98.9 ₪308

$32.41 R 534

205.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 ₪360

$121 R 1,987

-4.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 ₪512

$108 R 1,781

52.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$493 ₪1,534

$1,021 R 16.8K

-51.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ₪1,032

$717 R 11.8K

-53.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₪2,732

$1,824 R 30.1K

-51.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₪2,007

$1,327 R 21.9K

-51.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,595 ₪4,962

$2,391 R 39.4K

-33.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,155 ₪3,595

$1,542 R 25.4K

-25.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,320 ₪4,106

$1,639 R 27.0K

-19.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-8.84%

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

Last update for Bethlehem: 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

Bethlehem

$332 20.7%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 116% $385

Groceries & Markets

Bethlehem

$312 19.5%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 27.9% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bethlehem

$268 16.7%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 31.6% $85

Eating Out

Bethlehem

$244 15.2%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 27.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Bethlehem

$192 12%

Cape Town

$143 9% 25.8% $50

Getting Around

Bethlehem

$175 10.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 57.2% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Bethlehem

$81 5.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 17% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $493 in Bethlehem 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 24% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $50.0 in Bethlehem versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $312 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇸 Bethlehem

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

00:46 12:46 AM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h behind Bethlehem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,019

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ILS – Israeli New Shekel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇱 Israeli New Shekel (₪)

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 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 ILS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bethlehem Cape Town 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bethlehem
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

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

Yes – Bethlehem is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,405 per month in Bethlehem 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,603 in Bethlehem and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 1%.

Public transport costs about 139% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Bethlehem at $1,603. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethlehem 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.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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