Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bloemfontein and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,069 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
Learn more

Bloemfontein Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,069

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,069 per month in Bloemfontein vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,069
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,687 per month in Bloemfontein vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bloemfontein $1,687
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,305 per month in Bloemfontein vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Bloemfontein $2,305
Cape Town $3,263

Bloemfontein is about 33% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bloemfontein sits 21% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.91 R 196

$12.14 R 200

-1.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.16 R 678

$45.34 R 747

-9.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.41 R 122

$5.88 R 96.9

26.02%

Cappuccino

$2.08 R 34.20

$2.50 R 41.18

-16.80%

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

$1.40 R 23.11

$1.27 R 20.94

10.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.93

$0.98 R 16.14

11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 R 41.78

$2.99 R 49.33

-15.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 R 45.06

$3.72 R 61.4

-26.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R 17.27

$1.30 R 21.40

-19.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 R 17.59

$1.25 R 20.68

-14.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 R 35.12

$2.23 R 36.76

-4.48%

Eggs

$2.16 R 35.63

$3.11 R 51.2

-30.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 R 124

$9.06 R 149

-16.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.07 R 83.5

$6.92 R 114

-26.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.91 R 130

$9.30 R 153

-14.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.11

$1.84 R 30.25

2.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.84

$1.96 R 32.29

-19.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.45

$1.67 R 27.45

7.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$2.17 R 35.70

-28.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.39

$1.57 R 25.81

1.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.51

$1.48 R 24.45

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 R 18.45

$1.30 R 21.41

-13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 15.91

$1.13 R 18.60

-14.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.54 R 41.89

$3.60 R 59.3

-29.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.91 R 80.9

$6.15 R 101

-20.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 R 29.81

$1.38 R 22.66

31.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.90

$2.14 R 35.20

-35.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R 15.35

$1.50 R 24.65

-38.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.1 R 1,253

$60.8 R 1,001

25.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 R 17.56

$0.59 R 9.71

81.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 R 23.12

$1.55 R 25.50

-9.68%

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

$36.4K R 599.9K

$36.2K R 596.5K

0.57%

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

$28.5K R 469.8K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-8.74%

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

$77.8 R 1,281

$114 R 1,883

-31.97%

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

$32.29 R 532

$28.91 R 476

11.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 R 522

$39.73 R 654

-20.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.34 R 533

$49.01 R 808

-34.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$4.72 R 77.8

$9.15 R 151

-48.42%

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

$200 R 3,296

$259 R 4,264

-22.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.9 R 1,003

$56.2 R 926

8.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 R 709

$32.41 R 534

32.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 R 2,220

$121 R 1,987

11.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 R 1,826

$108 R 1,781

2.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 R 5,139

$1,021 R 16.8K

-69.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 R 4,717

$717 R 11.8K

-60.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 R 8,459

$1,824 R 30.1K

-71.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 R 8,954

$1,327 R 21.9K

-59.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$487 R 8,031

$2,391 R 39.4K

-79.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$620 R 10.2K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-59.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,287 R 21.2K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-21.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.13

10.97

10.57%

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

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bloemfontein

$286 26.8%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 150% $431

Groceries & Markets

Bloemfontein

$190 17.8%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 18.4% $35

Eating Out

Bloemfontein

$171 16%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 3.3% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Bloemfontein

$157 14.7%

Cape Town

$143 9% 9.2% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bloemfontein

$142 13.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 29.1% $41

Getting Around

Bloemfontein

$81 * 7.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 7.5% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Bloemfontein

$42 3.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 61.1% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $312 in Bloemfontein 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 27% higher in Cape Town, 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 $41.00 in Bloemfontein versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $225 – making Bloemfontein the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

Same time as Bloemfontein

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

370,000 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bloemfontein Cape Town 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bloemfontein
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

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

Cape Town costs about 48% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,603 per month in Bloemfontein 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 Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Bloemfontein and $45.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bloemfontein, where all-in costs run around $1,069, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Bloemfontein it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bloemfontein costs $1,069 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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