Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bissau and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Bissau: $837 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bissau

🇬🇼 Guinea-Bissau

$837

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $837 in Bissau versus $1,568 in Cape Town.

Bissau $837
Cape Town $1,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,352 in Bissau versus $2,438 in Cape Town.

Bissau $1,352
Cape Town $2,438

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,868 in Bissau versus $3,307 in Cape Town.

Bissau $1,868
Cape Town $3,307

Living in Bissau costs roughly 47% less than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bissau is 38% below, Cape Town is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.33 F CFA 3,120

$11.78 R 194

-54.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.69 F CFA 15.0K

$46.55 R 768

-44.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.50 F CFA 5,560

$5.96 R 98.4

59.40%

Cappuccino

$1.75 F CFA 1,023

$2.47 R 40.80

-29.15%

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

$1.03 F CFA 600

$1.33 R 21.91

-22.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 F CFA 487

$1.03 R 16.99

-19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.71 F CFA 413

$3.01 R 49.72

-76.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 F CFA 992

$1.39 R 22.96

22.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 F CFA 587

$1.19 R 19.60

-15.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 F CFA 1,184

$2.11 R 34.84

-4.27%

Eggs

$5.29 F CFA 3,093

$3.01 R 49.58

75.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.63 F CFA 8,561

$8.96 R 148

63.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.73 F CFA 8,033

$6.65 R 110

106.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 F CFA 8,193

$9.29 R 153

50.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.46 F CFA 2,608

$1.83 R 30.13

143.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 F CFA 622

$1.90 R 31.31

-44.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 F CFA 2,558

$1.75 R 28.83

149.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.15 F CFA 85.3

$2.09 R 34.41

-92.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 829

$1.55 R 25.64

-8.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 F CFA 830

$1.49 R 24.53

-4.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 F CFA 753

$1.16 R 19.19

11.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

Wine (Bottle)

$6.94 F CFA 4,062

$6.06 R 100

14.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 F CFA 749

$1.39 R 22.85

-7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 F CFA 499

$2.20 R 36.32

-61.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 F CFA 294

$1.51 R 24.98

-66.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.49 F CFA 14.9K

$61.0 R 1,006

-58.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 F CFA 868

$1.58 R 26.08

-6.33%

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

$31.7K F CFA 18.6M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-10.64%

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

$28.9K F CFA 16.9M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-8.87%

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

$105 F CFA 61.5K

$116 R 1,920

-9.63%

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

$34.41 F CFA 20.1K

$28.37 R 468

21.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.15 F CFA 26.4K

$40.69 R 671

10.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.73 F CFA 25.6K

$48.85 R 806

-10.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$759 F CFA 444.1K

$261 R 4,314

190.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,319 F CFA 1.4M

$6,702 R 110.6K

-65.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$528 F CFA 309.1K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-47.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 F CFA 100.1K

$715 R 11.8K

-76.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 F CFA 507.3K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-51.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$429 F CFA 250.8K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-67.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,029 F CFA 601.9K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-37.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Bissau: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bissau

–

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Groceries & Markets

Bissau

–

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bissau

–

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Eating Out

Bissau

–

Cape Town

$174 11%

Clothing & Footwear

Bissau

–

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Getting Around

Bissau

–

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Sport & Entertainment

Bissau

–

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $528 in Bissau and $1,015 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 59% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $26.00 in Bissau vs $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries flip the comparison at $302 vs $222, with Cape Town cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇬🇼 Bissau

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

12:10 12:10 PM

2 h ahead of Bissau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,954 Capital

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 = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

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 = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bissau Cape Town 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bissau
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

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

Bissau and Cape Town differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($837 vs $1,568 including rent). Bissau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 59% lower in Cape Town. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $528 in Bissau versus $1,015 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $759 in Bissau versus $261 in Cape Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Cape Town pay roughly 36% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $837 in Bissau versus $1,568 in Cape Town, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bissau but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Bissau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Bissau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.