Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bra and Cape Town

For one person, living costs are similar in Bra and in Cape Town: $1,558 and $1,527 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Bra
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Bra Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Bra

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,558

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,558 in Bra versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Bra $1,558
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,249 in Bra versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Bra $2,249
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,940 in Bra versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Bra $2,940
Cape Town $3,306

Monthly costs are close between Bra and Cape Town; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bra 15% above, Cape Town 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.73 €20.25

$12.01 R 197

89.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.55 €35.23

$42.92 R 703

-7.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.15

$6.15 R 101

85.37%

Cappuccino

$1.75 €1.56

$2.37 R 38.81

-26.16%

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

$3.66 €3.26

$1.27 R 20.84

188.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.94 R 15.37

75.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.87

$2.96 R 48.48

84.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.90

$3.69 R 60.5

18.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.32 R 21.61

23.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 €2.30

$1.21 R 19.75

113.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.20 R 36.05

22.27%

Eggs

$3.20 €2.85

$3.10 R 50.8

3.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.06 €11.63

$8.73 R 143

49.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.50 €10.25

$6.89 R 113

66.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.91 €16.84

$9.26 R 152

104.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.83 R 29.90

21.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.95 R 31.94

9.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.66 R 27.16

39.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.14 R 34.99

52.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.58 R 25.86

4.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.47 R 24.15

12.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.35 R 22.05

-16.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 €0.52

$1.14 R 18.75

-49.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.63 €5.91

$3.58 R 58.6

85.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 €5.42

$6.05 R 99.2

0.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.39 R 22.82

17.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.03

$2.18 R 35.69

4.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.40 R 22.88

21.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.86 €39.96

$60.8 R 995

-26.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.01 €7.14

$0.93 R 15.18

761.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.97

$0.90 R 14.75

145.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.40 €10.16

$4.96 R 81.3

129.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.54 R 25.23

35.06%

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

$27.4K €24.4K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-22.56%

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

$29.4K €26.2K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-11.88%

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

$113 €100

$117 R 1,918

-3.70%

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

$10.12 €9.02

$25.71 R 421

-60.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.49 €24.49

$39.41 R 646

-30.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.1 €70.5

$51.6 R 846

53.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

Cinema Ticket

$9.09 €8.10

$8.89 R 146

2.25%

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

$112 €99.8

$308 R 5,040

-63.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.5K €22.8K

$8,141 R 133.4K

213.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$96.7 €86.1

$57.4 R 940

68.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.26 €43.88

$31.75 R 520

55.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$116 R 1,900

-1.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$101 R 1,650

32.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$665 €593

$1,047 R 17.1K

-36.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 €405

$669 R 11.0K

-32.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$552 €492

$1,861 R 30.5K

-70.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 €450

$1,407 R 23.1K

-64.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

10.89

-71.53%

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

Last update for Bra: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bra

$455 29.2%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 47.2% $215

Groceries & Markets

Bra

$313 20.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 28.8% $90

Eating Out

Bra

$294 18.9%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 40.9% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Bra

$177 11.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 22.4% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bra

$150 9.7%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 21.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Bra

$97 6.2%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 28.7% $28

Getting Around

Bra

$71 4.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 1.4% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $665 in Bra and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $40 in Bra vs $43 in Cape Town. Groceries flip the comparison at $313 vs $223, with Cape Town cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bra

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

1 h ahead of Bra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,224

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bra Cape Town 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bra
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

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

You’d need roughly $2,337 in Bra and $2,291 in Cape Town to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $665 in Bra versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bra runs roughly 26% less than in Cape Town. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Bra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cape Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.