Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Coast and Tema

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $734 a month against $1,261 in Cape Coast, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Cape Coast
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Cape Coast Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
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Tema Living Index

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Cape Coast

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,261

/mo nomad

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$734

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Coast and in Tema

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Coast and in Tema actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,261 per month in Cape Coast vs $734 in Tema, rent included.

Cape Coast $1,261
Tema $734

A couple spends around $1,989 per month in Cape Coast vs $1,166 in Tema, rent included.

Cape Coast $1,989
Tema $1,166

A family of three spends $2,716 per month in Cape Coast vs $1,598 in Tema, rent included.

Cape Coast $2,716
Tema $1,598

Cape Coast costs about 72% more than Tema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Coast and Tema are more affordable than the global median – Cape Coast 7% lower, Tema 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.15 GHS 94.8

$6.64 GHS 77.2

22.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 GHS 603

$28.26 GHS 329

83.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 GHS 118

Cappuccino

$4.45 GHS 51.7

$4.97 GHS 57.9

-10.46%

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

$1.57 GHS 18.27

$0.88 GHS 10.23

78.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 GHS 5.19

$0.28 GHS 3.25

60.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 GHS 21.40

$3.22 GHS 37.45

-42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 GHS 25.56

$2.57 GHS 29.85

-14.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.64 GHS 42.35

$3.11 GHS 36.13

17.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 GHS 19.47

$1.52 GHS 17.72

9.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.07 GHS 35.70

$2.02 GHS 23.45

51.98%

Eggs

$2.55 GHS 29.68

$2.33 GHS 27.08

9.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.01 GHS 140

$4.27 GHS 49.67

181.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.04 GHS 81.8

$3.12 GHS 36.31

125.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.76 GHS 114

$3.48 GHS 40.50

180.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 GHS 41.48

$2.52 GHS 29.29

41.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 GHS 16.10

$2.18 GHS 25.37

-36.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 GHS 20.53

$2.08 GHS 24.19

-15.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 GHS 42.26

$3.32 GHS 38.65

9.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.77 GHS 32.22

$3.43 GHS 39.94

-19.24%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 GHS 31.82

$2.78 GHS 32.37

-1.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 GHS 8.06

$0.40 GHS 4.64

72.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.00

$0.71 GHS 8.30

-15.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.50 GHS 29.13

$1.24 GHS 14.37

101.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.32 GHS 85.1

$8.72 GHS 101

-16.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 GHS 14.86

$2.15 GHS 24.97

-40.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 GHS 27.71

$2.95 GHS 34.30

-19.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 GHS 20.06

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.78 GHS 474

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 GHS 20.07

$2.18 GHS 25.35

-20.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 GHS 14.50

$0.44 GHS 5.11

184.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 GHS 49.55

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 GHS 14.98

$1.19 GHS 13.84

8.40%

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

$7,862 GHS 91.4K

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

$9,880 GHS 114.9K

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

$73.2 GHS 851

$77.4 GHS 900

-5.47%

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

$19.55 GHS 227

$14.74 GHS 171

32.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.07 GHS 501

$80.4 GHS 935

-46.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.40 GHS 272

Cinema Ticket

$12.92 GHS 150

$8.70 GHS 101

48.51%

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

$466 GHS 5,421

$167 GHS 1,946

178.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K GHS 217.7K

$2,522 GHS 29.3K

642.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.04 GHS 163

$13.00 GHS 151

8.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.28 GHS 213

$15.35 GHS 179

19.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.79 GHS 428

$42.57 GHS 495

-13.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.0 GHS 616

$31.35 GHS 365

69.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$608 GHS 7,076

$129 GHS 1,503

370.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$589 GHS 6,848

$70.7 GHS 823

732.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,230 GHS 14.3K

$433 GHS 5,037

183.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 GHS 13.0K

$206 GHS 2,401

442.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.2K GHS 118.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,098 GHS 70.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$423 GHS 4,924

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

-23.57%

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

Last update for Cape Coast: October 10, 2026

Last update for Tema: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Coast

$589 46.7%

Tema

$71 9.6% 88% $518

Groceries & Markets

Cape Coast

$277 22%

Tema

$213 29.1% 23% $64

Eating Out

Cape Coast

$171 13.5%

Tema

$139 * 18.9% 18.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Coast

$136 10.8%

Tema

$173 23.5% 27.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Coast

$55 4.4%

Tema

$46 6.3% 16.2% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Coast

$26 * 2.1%

Tema

$41 5.6% 57.9% $15

Getting Around

Cape Coast

$8 * 0.6%

Tema

$52 7.1% 554% $44

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $608 in Cape Coast versus $129 in Tema. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $52.0 in Cape Coast versus $28.00 in Tema. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $213 – making Tema the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Cape Coast

🇬🇭 Tema

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

Same time as Cape Coast

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

155,000

160,000

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Coast Tema 150 km

From you

Cape Coast
Tema

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

Cape Coast vs Tema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Coast is pricier by about 72%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,892 per month in Cape Coast and $1,101 in Tema. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tema, 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 $1,261 in Cape Coast and $734 in Tema. That's a gap of about 72%.

Kindergarten costs $466 per month in Cape Coast and $167 in Tema. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tema, where all-in costs run around $734, than in Cape Coast at $1,261. In Tema it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Coast it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Tema – 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 Tema. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Coast makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.