Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ashford

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,427 in Ashford, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Ashford
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Ashford Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ashford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $2,427 in Ashford.

Cape Town $1,586
Ashford $2,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $3,351 in Ashford.

Cape Town $2,425
Ashford $3,351

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $4,276 in Ashford.

Cape Town $3,263
Ashford $4,276

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 35% less than in Ashford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 17% above, Ashford 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$20.96 £15.73

-42.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$79.9 £60.0

-43.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$10.49 £7.87

-43.95%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$5.74 £4.30

-56.45%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.74 £2.05

-53.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.82 £1.37

-46.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$3.89 £2.92

-23.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$7.09 £5.32

-47.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.48 £1.11

-12.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.32 £0.99

-5.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.69 £1.26

31.95%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.00 £2.25

3.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.22 £3.92

73.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.91 £5.18

0.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$14.39 £10.79

-35.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.28 £2.46

-43.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.44 £1.08

36.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.67 £2.01

-37.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$3.17 £2.38

-31.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.67 £1.25

-5.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.46 £1.09

1.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.44 £1.08

-9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.42 £1.07

-20.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$18.83 £14.13

-80.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$9.24 £6.93

-33.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.67 £2.00

-48.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$3.63 £2.73

-41.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.89 £2.92

-61.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$146 £110

-58.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$6.11 £4.58

-90.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.68 £1.26

-10.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$21.44 £16.08

-76.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.07 £1.55

-25.12%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.0K £26.2K

3.56%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$41.1K £30.9K

-24.02%

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

$114 R 1,883

$244 £183

-53.10%

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

$28.91 R 476

$24.30 £18.23

18.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$38.52 £28.90

3.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$61.3 £45.99

-20.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$18.74 £14.06

-41.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$21.45 £16.10

-57.34%

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

$259 R 4,264

$1,076 £808

-75.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$19.8K £14.9K

-65.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$69.5 £52.1

-19.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$31.50 £23.63

2.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$76.7 £57.6

57.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$100 £75.1

7.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$1,115 £836

-8.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$1,133 £850

-36.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,708 £1,282

6.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,425 £1,069

-6.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$6,328 £4,748

-62.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$4,671 £3,504

-66.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$2,452 £1,840

-33.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.91

123.42%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ashford: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ashford

$1.1K 46.7% 58% $416

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ashford

$262 10.8% 16.3% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ashford

$307 12.6% 67.6% $124

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ashford

$320 13.2% 81.6% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ashford

$125 5.2% 12.4% $18

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ashford

$176 7.3% 136% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ashford

$104 4.3% 54.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $1,115 in Ashford. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashford pays 50% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $80.0 in Ashford for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $262 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇧 Ashford

🕒 Local time

05:34 5:34 AM

04:34 4:34 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

58,936

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ashford 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ashford

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 Ashford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 50% lower in Ashford. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $1,115 in Ashford. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Town – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $80.0 in Ashford. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,586 per month in Cape Town versus $2,427 in Ashford – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,586 in Cape Town versus $2,427 in Ashford, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cape Town but tight or insufficient in Ashford. The gap between the two cities makes Cape Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cape Town is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ashford, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Ashford are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cape Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Ashford. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.