Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Arrest

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,809 in Arrest, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Arrest
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Arrest Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Arrest

🇫🇷 France

$1,809

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town versus $1,809 in Arrest.

Cape Town $1,527
Arrest $1,809

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,417 in Cape Town versus $2,758 in Arrest.

Cape Town $2,417
Arrest $2,758

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Cape Town versus $3,707 in Arrest.

Cape Town $3,306
Arrest $3,707

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 16% less than in Arrest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 13% above, Arrest 34% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$16.97 €15.11

-29.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$56.4 €50.2

-23.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$13.19 €11.74

-53.37%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.98 €2.65

-20.47%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$3.17 €2.82

-59.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.06 €1.84

-54.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$8.24 €7.34

-64.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$5.45 €4.85

-32.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.30 €1.16

1.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.77 €1.58

-31.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.56 €2.28

-14.06%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$3.78 €3.37

-17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$10.08 €8.98

-13.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$12.05 €10.73

-42.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$16.06 €14.30

-42.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.00 €2.67

-39.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$3.05 €2.72

-36.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.47 €1.31

12.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$4.16 €3.70

-48.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.80 €1.60

-12.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.05 €1.82

-28.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.64 €1.46

-17.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.13 €0.11

776.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$12.60 €11.22

-71.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$5.43 €4.84

11.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.48 €1.32

-6.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.64 €1.46

32.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.96 €1.74

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$48.92 €43.56

24.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$2.23 €1.98

-58.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.15 €1.02

-21.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$32.27 €28.73

-84.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.10 €1.87

-26.67%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$34.1K €30.4K

3.63%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$35.2K €31.4K

-5.24%

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

$117 R 1,929

$207 €184

-43.34%

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

$25.71 R 424

$32.73 €29.14

-21.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$32.60 €29.03

20.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$34.95 €31.12

47.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$15.84 €14.10

-43.88%

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

$308 R 5,069

$891 €794

-65.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$10.7K €9,516

-23.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$124 €111

-53.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$45.30 €40.34

-29.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$101 €90.2

14.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$157 €139

-35.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$755 €672

38.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$635 €566

5.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,435 €1,278

29.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$1,161 €1,034

21.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$4,240 €3,776

-43.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$3,165 €2,818

-50.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.9

179.23%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Arrest: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Arrest

$635 35.1% 5% $34

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Arrest

$294 16.2% 31.6% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Arrest

$272 15% 49.3% $90

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Arrest

$284 15.7% 63.3% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Arrest

$192 10.6% 39.8% $55

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Arrest

$65 3.6% 9.8% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Arrest

$67 3.7% 4% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,047 in Cape Town and $755 in Arrest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Cape Town vs $56 in Arrest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $294 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇫🇷 Arrest

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

900

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Arrest 9,490 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Arrest

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 Arrest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town is about 16% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,291 in Cape Town and $2,714 in Arrest 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 $755 in Arrest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $308 in Cape Town versus $891 in Arrest. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 32% higher in Arrest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.