Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Arica

For one person, living is cheaper in Arica: $109 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Arica

🇨🇱 Chile

$109

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $109 in Arica, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Arica $109

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $175 in Arica, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Arica $175

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $242 in Arica, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Arica $242

Cape Town costs about 1304% more than Arica, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Arica is 92% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

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

$1.27 R 21.03

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.17 CLP 1,150

-19.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$0.98 CLP 961

34.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$0.69 CLP 675

102.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

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

$117 R 1,935

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

$25.71 R 425

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

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

$308 R 5,085

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$40.88 CLP 40.0K

40.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$20.05 CLP 19.6K

58.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$53.4 CLP 52.3K

117.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$89.1 CLP 87.2K

13.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$507 CLP 496.3K

221.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

117.80%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arica: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Arica

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Arica

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Arica

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Arica

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Arica

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Arica

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Arica

–

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Cape Town are about 3.2 times higher, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇱 Arica

🕒 Local time

17:14 5:14 PM

12:14 12:14 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

202,131

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.21 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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 = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 979 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,100 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.09 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Arica 8,760 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Arica

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 Arica: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town, $109 in Arica – Arica comes out roughly 93% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $163 in Arica. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $109 in Arica. That makes Arica about 93% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 2176% more in Cape Town, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Arica, where all-in costs run around $109, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Arica 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 $109 in Arica to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Arica. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.