Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo Frio and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Frio: $625 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Frio
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Cabo Frio Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cabo Frio

🇧🇷 Brazil

$625

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $625 per month in Cabo Frio vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cabo Frio $625
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,031 per month in Cabo Frio vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cabo Frio $1,031
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,438 per month in Cabo Frio vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Cabo Frio $1,438
Cape Town $3,306

Cabo Frio is about 59% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cabo Frio sits 54% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.58 R$30.71

$12.01 R 199

-53.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.85 R$153

$42.92 R 709

-35.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.46 R$35.56

$6.15 R 102

5.04%

Cappuccino

$1.62 R$8.93

$2.37 R 39.16

-31.65%

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

$1.26 R$6.93

$1.27 R 21.03

-0.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R$2.76

$0.94 R 15.50

-46.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 R$6.21

$2.96 R 48.92

-61.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 R$9.87

$3.69 R 61.0

-51.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 R$4.23

$1.32 R 21.80

-41.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 R$7.74

$1.21 R 19.93

16.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.20

$2.20 R 36.37

-65.45%

Eggs

$1.43 R$7.88

$3.10 R 51.3

-53.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 R$39.61

$8.73 R 144

-17.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 R$17.52

$6.89 R 114

-53.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.19 R$50.6

$9.26 R 153

-0.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R$9.74

$1.83 R 30.17

-3.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 R$6.07

$1.95 R 32.22

-43.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.96

$1.66 R 27.40

-45.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.51

$2.14 R 35.30

-44.86%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 R$3.52

$1.58 R 26.09

-59.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 R$4.15

$1.47 R 24.37

-48.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 R$2.93

$1.35 R 22.25

-60.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 R$2.95

$1.14 R 18.91

-52.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 R$8.23

$3.58 R 59.1

-58.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 R$30.29

$6.05 R 100

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.82

$1.39 R 23.02

-36.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 R$7.26

$2.18 R 36.01

-39.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 R$6.89

$1.40 R 23.09

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.7 R$411

$60.8 R 1,004

22.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.70

$0.93 R 15.31

31.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$4.01

$0.90 R 14.88

-18.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 R$39.83

$4.96 R 82.0

45.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.93

$1.54 R 25.45

-29.87%

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

$19.7K R$108.5K

$35.4K R 584.6K

-44.25%

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

$28.6K R$157.3K

$33.4K R 551.6K

-14.37%

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

$54.1 R$298

$117 R 1,935

-53.81%

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

$7.04 R$38.77

$25.71 R 425

-72.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 R$70.1

$39.41 R 651

-67.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.35 R$112

$51.6 R 853

-60.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 R$24.17

$8.89 R 147

-50.62%

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

$135 R$742

$308 R 5,085

-56.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,436 R$13.4K

$8,141 R 134.6K

-70.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.09 R$232

$57.4 R 948

-26.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.34 R$206

$31.75 R 525

17.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.9 R$286

$116 R 1,917

-55.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.49 R$245

$101 R 1,665

-55.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,301

$1,047 R 17.3K

-60.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 R$596

$669 R 11.1K

-83.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 R$3,365

$1,861 R 30.8K

-67.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 R$1,444

$1,407 R 23.3K

-81.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$256 R$1,411

$1,630 R 26.9K

-84.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

10.89

-2.02%

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

Last update for Cabo Frio: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cabo Frio

$151 24.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 48.2% $73

Accommodation & Living

Cabo Frio

$108 17.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 518% $561

Eating Out

Cabo Frio

$100 16%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 74.4% $74

Getting Around

Cabo Frio

$85 13.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 15.1% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo Frio

$79 12.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 73.9% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo Frio

$74 11.8%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 147% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo Frio

$29 4.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 138% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Cabo Frio versus $1,047 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 in Cape Town are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Cabo Frio versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $151 vs $223 – making Cabo Frio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cabo Frio

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

18:14 6:14 PM

23:14 11:14 PM

5 h ahead of Cabo Frio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,161

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cabo Frio Cape Town 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabo Frio
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

Cabo Frio vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 144%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $938 per month in Cabo Frio and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo Frio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $625 in Cabo Frio and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cabo Frio about 59% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 19% 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 Cabo Frio, where all-in costs run around $625, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Cabo Frio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo Frio – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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