Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bambous

For one person, living is cheaper in Bambous: $537 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Bambous
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Bambous Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Bambous

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$537

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $537 in Bambous.

Cape Town $1,586
Bambous $537

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $901 in Bambous.

Cape Town $2,425
Bambous $901

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $1,265 in Bambous.

Cape Town $3,263
Bambous $1,265

Living in Cape Town is roughly 195% more expensive than in Bambous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Bambous is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$4.16 MUR 196

191.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$37.24 MUR 1,753

21.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.26 MUR 201

38.03%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.14 MUR 101

16.82%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.02 MUR 48.07

24.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.40 MUR 19.06

145.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.65 MUR 125

12.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.56 MUR 73.6

138.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.15 MUR 54.1

13.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.72 MUR 33.68

73.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.07 MUR 50.4

108.41%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.45 MUR 115

26.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.31 MUR 250

70.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.14 MUR 148

120.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$4.15 MUR 195

124.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.13 MUR 100

-13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.66 MUR 125

-26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.44 MUR 67.6

15.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.88 MUR 136

-24.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.99 MUR 46.53

58.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.99 MUR 46.58

49.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.69 MUR 32.59

88.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.83 MUR 39.14

36.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.49 MUR 306

-44.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.35 MUR 393

-26.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.69 MUR 79.5

-18.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.36 MUR 111

-9.32%

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

$4.19 MUR 197

-85.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.23 MUR 152

-53.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$21.46 MUR 1,010

-76.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.39 MUR 65.4

11.51%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$36.9K MUR 1.7M

-1.81%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.9K MUR 1.5M

1.25%

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

$114 R 1,883

$44.49 MUR 2,095

156.96%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.50 MUR 494

175.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$28.85 MUR 1,358

37.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.18 MUR 291

48.06%

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

$259 R 4,264

$124 MUR 5,861

107.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,510 MUR 353.6K

-9.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$77.0 MUR 3,624

-27.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$72.3 MUR 3,403

-55.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$120 MUR 5,646

0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$76.4 MUR 3,598

41.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

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

6.67

64.47%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bambous: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Bambous

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Bambous

$171 31.9% 23.9% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Bambous

$84 15.6% 54.2% $99

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Bambous

$94 17.5% 46.8% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Bambous

$156 29% 8.9% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Bambous

$20 * 3.8% 72.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Bambous

$12 * 2.3% 81.6% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $45.00 in Cape Town vs $37.00 in Bambous for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $171 per month, with Bambous cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Bambous

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

18:16 6:16 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

15,300

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Bambous 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bambous

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 Bambous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town and Bambous differ by about 195% in total monthly costs ($1,586 vs $537 including rent). Bambous is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,379 in Cape Town and $805 in Bambous 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.

Childcare runs $259 in Cape Town versus $124 in Bambous. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bambous – a meal for two runs $37.00 versus $45.00 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $537 in Bambous versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bambous but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Bambous 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.

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Bambous 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 Bambous gentler on the wallet – expenses run 195% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.