Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Anapolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Anapolis: $648 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Anapolis
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Anapolis Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Anapolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town versus $648 in Anapolis.

Cape Town $1,527
Anapolis $648

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,417 in Cape Town versus $1,078 in Anapolis.

Cape Town $2,417
Anapolis $1,078

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Cape Town versus $1,508 in Anapolis.

Cape Town $3,306
Anapolis $1,508

Living in Cape Town is roughly 136% more expensive than in Anapolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 13% above, Anapolis is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$5.43 R$29.80

121.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$37.28 R$205

15.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$7.66 R$42.04

-19.71%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.47 R$13.53

-4.05%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.07 R$5.85

18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.77 R$4.23

22.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$1.81 R$9.91

63.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.27 R$17.95

12.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.01 R$5.52

30.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.80 R$9.87

-32.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.20 R$6.60

83.33%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.03 R$11.16

52.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$8.48 R$46.51

2.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$3.85 R$21.15

78.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$6.52 R$35.75

42.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.96 R$10.74

-6.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.03 R$5.65

89.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.08 R$5.94

53.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.00 R$5.47

114.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.09 R$5.98

44.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.90 R$4.95

63.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.66 R$3.62

104.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.94 R$5.13

21.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$1.82 R$9.98

96.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$5.66 R$31.04

6.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.24 R$6.82

12.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.21 R$12.13

-1.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.19 R$6.55

-21.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.81 R$4.44

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$7.26 R$39.86

-31.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.17 R$6.45

31.62%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$21.7K R$118.9K

63.23%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$31.5K R$172.9K

5.90%

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

$117 R 1,929

$54.4 R$298

115.28%

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

$25.71 R 424

$9.00 R$49.40

185.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$18.15 R$99.6

117.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$21.88 R$120

135.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$5.48 R$30.04

62.23%

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

$308 R 5,069

$770 R$4,224

-60.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$16.5K R$90.4K

-50.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$51.8 R$284

10.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$37.19 R$204

-14.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$78.9 R$433

46.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$36.19 R$199

178.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$220 R$1,205

376.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$147 R$805

356.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$506 R$2,777

267.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$325 R$1,782

333.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,199 R$6,581

100.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$879 R$4,824

78.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$503 R$2,759

224.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

12.12

-10.15%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Anapolis: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Anapolis

$147 22.6% 78.1% $522

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Anapolis

$171 26.4% 23.2% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Anapolis

$82 12.6% 55.3% $101

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Anapolis

$119 18.4% 31.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Anapolis

$92 14.2% 33.3% $46

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Anapolis

$5.2 * 0.8% 92.7% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Anapolis

$33 5.1% 52.7% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,047 in Cape Town and $220 in Anapolis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays about 3.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Cape Town vs $37 in Anapolis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $171 per month, with Anapolis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Anapolis

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

398,869

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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 = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Anapolis 6,940 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Anapolis

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 Anapolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Anapolis wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Anapolis the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Cape Town is about 3.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,047 in Cape Town versus $220 in Anapolis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Cape Town. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,527 per month in Cape Town versus $648 in Anapolis – Anapolis is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $648 in Anapolis versus $1,527 in Cape Town, a $800 budget is realistic in Anapolis but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Anapolis the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Anapolis wins on affordability, Cape Town on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.