Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Acre

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,960 in Acre, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
136

Cost of Living Index in Acre
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Acre Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Acre

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $2,960 in Acre.

Cape Town $1,586
Acre $2,960

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $4,244 in Acre.

Cape Town $2,425
Acre $4,244

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $5,528 in Acre.

Cape Town $3,263
Acre $5,528

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 46% less than in Acre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 17% above, Acre 119% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$25.98 ₪80.8

-53.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$108 ₪337

-58.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$19.14 ₪59.6

-69.28%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.68 ₪14.57

-46.58%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$3.61 ₪11.24

-64.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$3.06 ₪9.53

-67.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$10.64 ₪33.11

-71.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$10.77 ₪33.51

-65.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$2.53 ₪7.86

-48.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$3.57 ₪11.10

-64.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$3.78 ₪11.77

-41.01%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$4.83 ₪15.04

-35.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$17.04 ₪53.0

-46.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$12.94 ₪40.27

-46.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$23.90 ₪74.4

-61.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$4.50 ₪14.02

-59.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.85 ₪8.87

-31.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.39 ₪7.44

-30.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.53 ₪7.86

-14.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.87 ₪5.81

-16.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.75 ₪5.43

-15.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$2.48 ₪7.72

-47.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$2.67 ₪8.31

-57.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$13.45 ₪41.85

-73.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$15.24 ₪47.42

-59.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$3.11 ₪9.67

-55.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$4.87 ₪15.17

-56.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.67 ₪8.30

-43.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$101 ₪316

-40.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.37 ₪13.60

-86.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.14 ₪3.54

31.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$19.45 ₪60.5

-73.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.68 ₪8.35

-42.16%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$57.0K ₪177.3K

-36.48%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$59.2K ₪184.3K

-47.24%

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

$114 R 1,883

$265 ₪826

-56.92%

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

$28.91 R 476

$11.95 ₪37.17

141.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$36.57 ₪114

8.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$74.4 ₪231

-34.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$15.92 ₪49.52

-42.53%

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

$259 R 4,264

$1,172 ₪3,647

-77.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$31.4K ₪97.6K

-78.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$112 ₪347

-49.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$71.8 ₪223

-54.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$133 ₪414

-9.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$154 ₪480

-29.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$1,436 ₪4,467

-28.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$1,332 ₪4,144

-46.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$2,076 ₪6,459

-12.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,849 ₪5,752

-28.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$9,458 ₪29.4K

-74.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$8,013 ₪24.9K

-80.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.04

117.66%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Acre: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Acre

$1.3K 45% 85.8% $615

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Acre

$452 15.3% 101% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Acre

$314 10.6% 71.6% $131

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Acre

$423 14.3% 140% $247

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Acre

$212 7.2% 48.3% $69

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Acre

$122 4.1% 63.3% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Acre

$106 3.6% 57.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $1,436 in Acre. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $108 in Acre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $452 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇱 Acre

🕒 Local time

11:27 11:27 AM

12:27 12:27 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

55,974

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Acre 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Acre

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 Acre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town wins on cost – living expenses run 87% lower than in Acre. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cape Town the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,379 in Cape Town and $4,441 in Acre 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: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $1,436 in Acre. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 101% higher in Acre. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Town – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $108 in Acre. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,586 in Cape Town versus $2,960 in Acre, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cape Town but tight or insufficient in Acre. The gap between the two cities makes Cape Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cape Town delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,586 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cape Town hard to pass up.

Expats usually find Cape Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Acre. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.