Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bagamoyo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bagamoyo: $386 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
19

Cost of Living Index in Bagamoyo
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Bagamoyo Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Bagamoyo

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$386

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $386 in Bagamoyo.

Cape Town $1,586
Bagamoyo $386

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $649 in Bagamoyo.

Cape Town $2,425
Bagamoyo $649

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $912 in Bagamoyo.

Cape Town $3,263
Bagamoyo $912

Living in Cape Town is roughly 311% more expensive than in Bagamoyo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Bagamoyo is 71% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$1.91 TZS 4,990

535.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$11.59 TZS 30.4K

291.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.49 TZS 19.6K

-21.50%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.94 TZS 5,070

28.87%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.33 TZS 863

284.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.22 TZS 569

345.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$0.93 TZS 2,424

221.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.91 TZS 4,995

94.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.78 TZS 2,036

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.60 TZS 1,583

108.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$0.39 TZS 1,029

471.79%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.93 TZS 5,062

61.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$9.19 TZS 24.1K

-1.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.83 TZS 12.6K

43.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$3.93 TZS 10.3K

136.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.49 TZS 6,519

-26.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.97 TZS 2,547

102.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.08 TZS 2,821

54.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.55 TZS 1,434

294.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.31 TZS 814

406.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.29 TZS 758

410.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.81 TZS 2,109

60.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.36 TZS 948

213.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.06 TZS 5,392

74.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.24 TZS 19.0K

-15.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.94 TZS 2,454

46.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.62 TZS 4,231

32.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.70 TZS 4,447

-65.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.55 TZS 4,055

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$13.09 TZS 34.3K

-60.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.41 TZS 3,694

9.93%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$16.9K TZS 44.2M

114.53%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$26.4K TZS 69.2M

18.30%

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

$114 R 1,883

$57.7 TZS 151.1K

98.16%

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

$28.91 R 476

$4.81 TZS 12.6K

501.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$22.79 TZS 59.7K

74.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.25 TZS 13.7K

74.29%

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

$259 R 4,264

$560 TZS 1.5M

-53.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$13.3K TZS 34.9M

-48.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$15.63 TZS 40.9K

259.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$25.86 TZS 67.7K

25.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$44.92 TZS 117.6K

168.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$59.3 TZS 155.4K

82.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$57.0 TZS 149.2K

1692.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$232 TZS 607.1K

686.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$113 TZS 296.1K

1073.66%

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

18.25

-39.89%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bagamoyo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Bagamoyo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Bagamoyo

$143 37.2% 36.3% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Bagamoyo

$85 22.1% 53.4% $98

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Bagamoyo

$72 18.6% 59.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Bagamoyo

$66 17% 54.1% $77

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Bagamoyo

$9.4 * 2.5% 87.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Bagamoyo

$10 * 2.7% 84.4% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,021 in Cape Town and $57.0 in Bagamoyo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $12.00 in Bagamoyo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $143 per month, with Bagamoyo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇿 Bagamoyo

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

17:54 5:54 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

55,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Bagamoyo 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bagamoyo

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 Bagamoyo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bagamoyo wins on cost – living expenses run 311% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bagamoyo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,379 in Cape Town and $579 in Bagamoyo 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: $1,021 in Cape Town versus $57.0 in Bagamoyo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $259 in Cape Town versus $560 in Bagamoyo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bagamoyo – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $45.00 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $386 in Bagamoyo versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bagamoyo but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Bagamoyo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bagamoyo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $386 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bagamoyo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Bagamoyo 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 Bagamoyo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 311% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.