Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Assis

For one person, living is cheaper in Assis: $815 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Assis
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Assis Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Assis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$815

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town versus $815 in Assis.

Cape Town $1,527
Assis $815

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,417 in Cape Town versus $1,321 in Assis.

Cape Town $2,417
Assis $1,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Cape Town versus $1,826 in Assis.

Cape Town $3,306
Assis $1,826

Living in Cape Town is roughly 87% more expensive than in Assis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 13% above, Assis is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$8.32 R$45.66

44.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$37.86 R$208

13.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$5.43 R$29.79

13.26%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.62 R$8.88

46.30%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$0.92 R$5.06

38.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.72 R$3.94

30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$1.10 R$6.02

169.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$1.83 R$10.02

101.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.89 R$4.90

48.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.32 R$7.24

-8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.22 R$6.68

80.33%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$1.43 R$7.86

116.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$7.14 R$39.16

22.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$4.15 R$22.76

66.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$8.24 R$45.19

12.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.26 R$12.42

-19.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.13 R$6.23

72.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.15 R$6.28

44.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.80 R$9.88

18.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.31 R$7.20

20.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.97 R$5.30

51.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.88 R$4.82

53.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.94 R$5.14

21.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$2.20 R$12.05

62.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$5.86 R$32.18

3.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.13 R$6.21

23.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.87 R$10.24

16.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.95 R$5.19

47.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$42.30 R$232

43.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.28 R$7.04

-27.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.32 R$7.22

-31.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$7.61 R$41.76

-34.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.15 R$6.33

33.91%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$22.3K R$122.4K

58.59%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$30.5K R$167.6K

9.24%

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

$117 R 1,929

$77.8 R$427

50.44%

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

$25.71 R 424

$11.13 R$61.1

131.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$17.79 R$97.6

121.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$24.48 R$134

110.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$26.32 R$144

-56.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$6.41 R$35.19

38.69%

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

$308 R 5,069

$198 R$1,085

55.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$7,340 R$40.3K

10.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$46.80 R$257

22.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$37.82 R$208

-16.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$79.9 R$439

45.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$50.7 R$278

98.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$330 R$1,809

217.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$229 R$1,258

191.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$623 R$3,419

198.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$453 R$2,487

210.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,599 R$8,772

50.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,128 R$6,190

39.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$567 R$3,110

187.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

12.38

-12.04%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Assis: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Assis

$229 28.1% 65.7% $440

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Assis

$173 21.2% 22.5% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Assis

$107 13.1% 41.4% $75

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Assis

$118 14.5% 32.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Assis

$97 11.9% 29.6% $41

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Assis

$54 6.6% 24.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Assis

$37 4.6% 46.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,047 in Cape Town and $330 in Assis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays about 2.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $43 in Cape Town vs $38 in Assis for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $173 per month, with Assis cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Assis

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

08:51 8:51 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

101,409

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 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

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Between locations

Cape Town Assis 6,730 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Assis

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 Assis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assis is about 47% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Cape Town is about 2.9 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 $330 in Assis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Assis runs roughly 30% less than in Cape Town. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $308 in Cape Town versus $198 in Assis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $815 in Assis versus $1,527 in Cape Town, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Assis but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Assis 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.

Expats usually find Assis gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.