Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishops Stortford and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,649 in Bishops Stortford, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Bishops Stortford
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Bishops Stortford Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bishops Stortford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,649

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,649 per month in Bishops Stortford vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bishops Stortford $2,649
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $3,782 per month in Bishops Stortford vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bishops Stortford $3,782
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $4,915 per month in Bishops Stortford vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bishops Stortford $4,915
Cape Town $3,263

Bishops Stortford costs about 67% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bishops Stortford and Cape Town sit above the global median – Bishops Stortford by 96%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.20 £15.15

$12.14 R 200

66.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.9 £43.41

$45.34 R 747

27.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.46 £7.10

$5.88 R 96.9

60.88%

Cappuccino

$4.73 £3.55

$2.50 R 41.18

89.20%

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

$3.04 £2.28

$1.27 R 20.94

139.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 £1.33

$0.98 R 16.14

80.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.78 £5.09

$2.99 R 49.33

126.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.90 £4.43

$3.72 R 61.4

58.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 £0.95

$1.30 R 21.40

-2.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 £1.51

$1.25 R 20.68

60.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 £1.18

$2.23 R 36.76

-29.60%

Eggs

$4.24 £3.18

$3.11 R 51.2

36.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 £6.32

$9.06 R 149

-6.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.84 £6.63

$6.92 R 114

27.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.54 £12.41

$9.30 R 153

77.85%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 £2.29

$1.84 R 30.25

65.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.06

$1.96 R 32.29

-27.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 £1.47

$1.67 R 27.45

17.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 £2.49

$2.17 R 35.70

53.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.37 £1.03

$1.57 R 25.81

-12.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 £1.32

$1.48 R 24.45

18.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 £1.08

$1.30 R 21.41

10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 £0.87

$1.13 R 18.60

2.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.99 £16.50

$3.60 R 59.3

510.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 £7.96

$6.15 R 101

72.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.25 £1.69

$1.38 R 22.66

63.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 £1.91

$2.14 R 35.20

19.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 £2.52

$1.50 R 24.65

124.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 £75.8

$60.8 R 1,001

66.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.20 £3.90

$0.59 R 9.71

781.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 £1.69

$1.50 R 24.65

50.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.39 £21.30

$5.11 R 84.2

455.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 £1.39

$1.55 R 25.50

19.35%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$36.2K R 596.5K

6.86%

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

$40.0K £30.0K

$31.2K R 514.8K

27.88%

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

$289 £217

$114 R 1,883

152.94%

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

$13.19 £9.90

$28.91 R 476

-54.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.86 £26.15

$39.73 R 654

-12.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.9 £47.21

$49.01 R 808

28.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$12.58 £9.44

$9.15 R 151

37.49%

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

$2,063 £1,548

$259 R 4,264

697.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.4K £22.1K

$6,794 R 111.9K

332.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 £40.34

$56.2 R 926

-4.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.5 £40.10

$32.41 R 534

64.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 £66.0

$121 R 1,987

-27.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 £68.6

$108 R 1,781

-15.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,543 £1,158

$1,021 R 16.8K

51.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,364 £1,023

$717 R 11.8K

90.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,218 £1,664

$1,824 R 30.1K

21.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,242 £1,682

$1,327 R 21.9K

68.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,187 £3,891

$2,391 R 39.4K

116.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,558 £2,670

$1,542 R 25.4K

130.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,721 £2,041

$1,639 R 27.0K

66.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.4

10.97

-50.77%

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

Last update for Bishops Stortford: 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

Bishops Stortford

$1.4K 51.5%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 47.4% $647

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishops Stortford

$337 12.7%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 45.7% $154

Eating Out

Bishops Stortford

$312 11.8%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 43.5% $136

Groceries & Markets

Bishops Stortford

$288 10.9%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 22% $63

Getting Around

Bishops Stortford

$131 4.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 42.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Bishops Stortford

$129 4.9%

Cape Town

$143 9% 10.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Bishops Stortford

$88 3.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 23.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,543 in Bishops Stortford 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 66% higher in Bishops Stortford, 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 $58.0 in Bishops Stortford versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Bishops Stortford

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:24 5:24 AM

06:24 6:24 AM

1 h ahead of Bishops Stortford

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,915

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Bishops Stortford Cape Town 9,700 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishops Stortford
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

Bishops Stortford vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,649 in Bishops Stortford, $1,586 in Cape Town – roughly 67% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,973 per month in Bishops Stortford 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 $2,649 in Bishops Stortford and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 67%.

Public transport costs about 66% 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 Bishops Stortford at $2,649. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bishops Stortford 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 $1,586 in Cape Town to $2,649 in Bishops Stortford. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Bishops Stortford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.