Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Arusha

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $549 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $549 in Arusha, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Arusha $549

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $888 in Arusha, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Arusha $888

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,228 in Arusha, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Arusha $1,228

Cape Town costs about 189% more than Arusha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Arusha is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.33 TZS 8,723

264.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$27.39 TZS 71.7K

65.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

-35.53%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.70 TZS 4,443

47.06%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.92 TZS 2,421

38.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.32 TZS 851

206.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.01 TZS 2,653

196.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.80 TZS 7,336

32.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.96 TZS 2,522

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.69 TZS 1,798

81.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.74 TZS 4,554

28.16%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.75 TZS 4,573

77.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.22 TZS 5,802

-17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.77 TZS 2,021

181.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.49 TZS 1,272

220.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.03 TZS 2,686

43.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.85 TZS 2,229

32.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.53 TZS 4,015

135.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.93 TZS 2,444

48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$0.92 TZS 2,417

132.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.19 TZS 503

689.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$7.64 TZS 20.0K

-33.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.24 TZS 3,259

25.00%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

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

$114 R 1,883

$28.61 TZS 74.9K

299.58%

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

$28.91 R 476

$8.60 TZS 22.5K

236.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$46.62 TZS 122.1K

-14.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$65.4 TZS 171.4K

-25.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

95.10%

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

$259 R 4,264

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

-11.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$285 TZS 747.5K

257.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$234 TZS 611.7K

206.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$491 TZS 1.3M

271.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$525 TZS 1.4M

152.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arusha: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Arusha

$234 42.6% 67.4% $483

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Arusha

$66 * 12% 70.8% $159

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Arusha

$84 15.3% 54.2% $99

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Arusha

$90 16.4% 48.9% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Arusha

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1% 99% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Arusha

$75 13.6% 11.1% $7.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $285 in Arusha. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $27.00 in Arusha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $66.0 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇿 Arusha

🕒 Local time

15:41 3:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

617,631

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2,619 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.82 USD). 1 EUR = 2,945 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Arusha 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Arusha

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 Arusha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town, $549 in Arusha – roughly 189% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $823 in Arusha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arusha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town and $27.00 in Arusha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $549 in Arusha. That's a gap of about 189%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $549, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Arusha 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 $549 in Arusha to $1,586 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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