Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ambert

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,879 in Ambert, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
91

Cost of Living Index in Ambert
Learn more

Ambert Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Ambert

🇫🇷 France

$1,879

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town versus $1,879 in Ambert.

Cape Town $1,527
Ambert $1,879

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,417 in Cape Town versus $2,929 in Ambert.

Cape Town $2,417
Ambert $2,929

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Cape Town versus $3,979 in Ambert.

Cape Town $3,306
Ambert $3,979

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 19% less than in Ambert, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 13% above, Ambert 39% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$16.94 €15.08

-29.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 704

$72.4 €64.4

-40.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$13.43 €11.95

-54.21%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.87

$3.69 €3.29

-35.77%

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

$1.27 R 20.87

$2.88 €2.56

-55.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.39

$1.96 €1.74

-52.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.55

$5.74 €5.11

-48.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$4.36 €3.88

-15.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.64

$1.39 €1.24

-5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.78

$2.20 €1.96

-45.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.10

$2.69 €2.40

-18.22%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.9

$3.67 €3.27

-15.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$18.42 €16.39

-52.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$13.66 €12.15

-49.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$24.62 €21.91

-62.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.94

$2.84 €2.53

-35.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.99

$2.37 €2.11

-17.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.20

$2.86 €2.54

-41.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.04

$3.78 €3.36

-43.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.90

$2.33 €2.07

-32.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.19

$2.94 €2.61

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.08

$1.77 €1.57

-23.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.77

$0.61 €0.54

86.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.7

$14.19 €12.63

-74.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.3

$7.67 €6.82

-21.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$3.77 €3.36

-63.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.75

$2.70 €2.40

-19.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.92

$1.98 €1.76

-29.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 997

$49.40 €43.96

22.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.20

$5.10 €4.54

-81.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.77

$1.72 €1.53

-47.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.4

$34.08 €30.32

-85.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.26

$2.20 €1.95

-30.00%

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

$35.4K R 580.2K

$34.3K €30.5K

3.21%

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

$33.4K R 547.5K

$38.4K €34.2K

-13.18%

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

$117 R 1,921

$220 €196

-46.75%

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

$25.71 R 422

$16.90 €15.04

52.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 647

$32.65 €29.06

20.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 847

$35.54 €31.62

45.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$13.85 €12.32

-35.81%

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

$308 R 5,047

$754 €671

-59.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.6K

$13.1K €11.7K

-38.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 941

$89.0 €79.2

-35.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 521

$64.2 €57.1

-50.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,903

$104 €92.5

11.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,652

$179 €160

-43.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$754 €671

38.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$617 €549

8.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$1,446 €1,286

28.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$1,165 €1,037

20.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$4,208 €3,745

-42.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.8K

$3,195 €2,843

-50.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.81

185.83%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ambert: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Ambert

$617 32.9% 7.8% $52

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Ambert

$384 20.5% 72.2% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Ambert

$269 14.3% 47.9% $87

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Ambert

$277 14.7% 59.1% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Ambert

$196 10.5% 42.8% $59

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Ambert

$71 3.8% 1% $0.7

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Ambert

$63 3.4% 8.9% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,047 in Cape Town and $754 in Ambert. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Cape Town vs $72 in Ambert for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $384 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇫🇷 Ambert

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

20:16 8:16 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

6,700

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.09 USD

100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.09 USD). 1 EUR = 18.44 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.42 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ambert 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ambert

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 Ambert: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,879 in Ambert, so Cape Town is about 19% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,291 in Cape Town and $2,818 in Ambert 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: $1,047 in Cape Town versus $754 in Ambert. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Ambert. 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 $43 versus $72 in Ambert. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cape Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.