Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Accra

For one person, living is cheaper in Accra: $1,073 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Accra
Learn more

Accra Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Accra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,073 in Accra, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Accra $1,073

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,700 in Accra, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Accra $1,700

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,327 in Accra, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Accra $2,327

Cape Town costs about 46% more than Accra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Accra is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$8.11 GHS 95.1

45.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$51.8 GHS 608

-10.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$10.46 GHS 123

-43.02%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$4.51 GHS 52.9

-45.23%

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

$1.33 R 22.03

$1.54 GHS 18.10

-13.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$0.45 GHS 5.24

128.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

$1.86 GHS 21.84

61.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

$2.24 GHS 26.29

63.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$3.61 GHS 42.37

-61.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$1.59 GHS 18.64

-25.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$3.19 GHS 37.42

-33.86%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$2.58 GHS 30.24

16.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$11.93 GHS 140

-24.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$7.02 GHS 82.3

-5.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$9.91 GHS 116

-6.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$3.69 GHS 43.24

-50.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$1.40 GHS 16.41

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$1.78 GHS 20.85

-1.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$3.68 GHS 43.12

-43.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$2.64 GHS 31.00

-41.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$2.62 GHS 30.68

-43.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$0.76 GHS 8.86

71.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$0.59 GHS 6.97

96.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$2.50 GHS 29.32

48.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$7.33 GHS 86.0

-17.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

$1.28 GHS 14.99

8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

$2.29 GHS 26.89

-3.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$1.47 GHS 17.28

2.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

$40.26 GHS 472

51.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

$1.72 GHS 20.23

-63.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

$1.25 GHS 14.70

22.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$4.16 GHS 48.79

15.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$1.28 GHS 15.06

23.44%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

$8,061 GHS 94.6K

340.35%

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

$9,921 GHS 116.4K

220.03%

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

$116 R 1,930

$74.8 GHS 877

55.69%

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

$28.37 R 471

$18.90 GHS 222

50.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

$41.82 GHS 491

-2.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$71.6 GHS 840

-31.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

$18.07 GHS 212

-38.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$12.59 GHS 148

-29.86%

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

$261 R 4,336

$470 GHS 5,510

-44.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

$18.6K GHS 218.4K

-64.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$14.28 GHS 167

287.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

$18.36 GHS 215

75.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

$36.02 GHS 423

226.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$52.4 GHS 615

104.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$691 GHS 8,109

46.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

$280 GHS 3,286

155.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

$1,092 GHS 12.8K

64.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

$467 GHS 5,480

184.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

$2,799 GHS 32.8K

-16.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

$1,424 GHS 16.7K

6.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$175 GHS 2,048

837.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

26.75

-58.99%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Accra: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Accra

$280 26.2% 60.8% $435

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Accra

$277 25.9% 24.5% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Accra

$135 12.7% 26.9% $50

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Accra

$172 16.1% 0.9% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Accra

$54 5.1% 61.2% $86

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Accra

$54 5.1% 28.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Accra

$97 9% 45.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $691 in Accra. 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 837% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $52.0 in Accra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $277 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇭 Accra

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

2 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

2,388,000 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Accra 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Accra

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 Accra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,568 in Cape Town, $1,073 in Accra – roughly 46% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,610 in Accra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Accra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town and $52.0 in Accra. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Accra, where all-in costs run around $1,073, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Accra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,073 in Accra to $1,568 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Accra. 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.