Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Aarau

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,819 in Aarau, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
135

Cost of Living Index in Aarau
Learn more

Aarau Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Aarau

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Aarau

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $2,819 in Aarau, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Aarau $2,819

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $4,634 in Aarau, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Aarau $4,634

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $6,448 in Aarau, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Aarau $6,448

Cape Town is about 46% cheaper than Aarau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Aarau sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Aarau by 109%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$30.35 CHF 24.83

-60.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$107 CHF 87.7

-59.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$18.48 CHF 15.11

-66.72%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$6.05 CHF 4.95

-60.83%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$5.33 CHF 4.36

-76.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$5.00 CHF 4.09

-81.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$6.05 CHF 4.95

-51.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$6.74 CHF 5.51

-45.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$2.06 CHF 1.68

-35.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$3.77 CHF 3.08

-67.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$2.69 CHF 2.20

-18.22%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$7.41 CHF 6.06

-58.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$31.60 CHF 25.84

-72.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$28.80 CHF 23.56

-76.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$41.04 CHF 33.57

-77.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$2.89 CHF 2.36

-36.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$1.80 CHF 1.48

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$2.42 CHF 1.98

-31.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$5.62 CHF 4.59

-61.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.73 CHF 1.42

-8.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.99 CHF 1.62

-26.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$2.33 CHF 1.90

-42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.13 CHF 0.92

0.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$11.01 CHF 9.01

-67.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$10.46 CHF 8.56

-42.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$2.51 CHF 2.06

-44.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.89 CHF 2.36

-24.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$5.23 CHF 4.27

-73.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$147 CHF 120

-58.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$4.61 CHF 3.77

-79.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$2.96 CHF 2.42

-69.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$61.6 CHF 50.4

-91.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$2.21 CHF 1.81

-30.32%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$38.7K CHF 31.6K

-8.60%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$39.5K CHF 32.3K

-15.57%

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

$117 R 1,918

$124 CHF 102

-5.79%

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

$25.71 R 421

$29.44 CHF 24.08

-12.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$56.8 CHF 46.44

-30.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$101 CHF 82.6

-48.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$61.9 CHF 50.6

-81.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$22.02 CHF 18.01

-59.63%

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

$308 R 5,040

$3,225 CHF 2,638

-90.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$24.6K CHF 20.1K

-66.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$91.4 CHF 74.7

-37.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$72.5 CHF 59.3

-56.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$109 CHF 89.4

6.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$173 CHF 141

-41.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$1,262 CHF 1,032

-17.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,024 CHF 838

-34.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$2,286 CHF 1,870

-18.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$2,147 CHF 1,756

-34.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$12.4K CHF 10.2K

-87.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$7,098 CHF 5,806

-77.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

2.31

371.43%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Aarau: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Aarau

$1K 36.3% 53.1% $355

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Aarau

$595 21.1% 167% $372

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Aarau

$210 7.5% 15.5% $28

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Aarau

$456 16.2% 162% $282

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Aarau

$201 7.1% 45.8% $63

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Aarau

$188 6.7% 161% $116

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Aarau

$145 5.1% 109% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,262 in Aarau. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Aarau are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $107 in Aarau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $595 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇭 Aarau

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

21,191

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.918 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Aarau 9,100 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Aarau

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 Town vs Aarau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Aarau costs about 85% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $4,229 in Aarau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,262 in Aarau.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $3,225 in Aarau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,819 in Aarau. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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