Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Barnet

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,870 in Barnet, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
141

Cost of Living Index in Barnet
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Barnet Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Barnet

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,870

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $2,870 in Barnet, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Barnet $2,870

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $4,261 in Barnet, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Barnet $4,261

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $5,652 in Barnet, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Barnet $5,652

Cape Town is about 45% cheaper than Barnet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Barnet sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Barnet by 113%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$22.85 £17.14

-46.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$90.7 £68.1

-50.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$10.61 £7.96

-44.58%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$5.47 £4.11

-54.30%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.90 £2.18

-56.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.93 £1.44

-49.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$7.75 £5.81

-61.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$6.59 £4.95

-43.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.62 £1.22

-19.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.70 £1.28

-26.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.47 £1.85

-9.72%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$4.83 £3.62

-35.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$11.57 £8.68

-21.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$10.56 £7.92

-34.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$16.86 £12.65

-44.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.90 £2.17

-36.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.75 £1.31

12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$3.05 £2.29

-45.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$3.53 £2.65

-38.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.83 £1.37

-14.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.85 £1.39

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.22 £0.92

6.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.81 £1.36

-37.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$23.78 £17.84

-84.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$11.66 £8.75

-47.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$3.25 £2.44

-57.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$4.52 £3.39

-52.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.28 £1.71

-34.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$5.39 £4.05

-89.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.69 £2.02

-44.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$49.27 £36.96

-89.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.14 £1.60

-27.57%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$37.5K £28.1K

-3.33%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$41.0K £30.7K

-23.74%

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

$114 R 1,883

$340 £255

-66.35%

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

$28.91 R 476

$18.10 £13.58

59.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$41.24 £30.94

-3.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$17.01 £12.76

-46.21%

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

$259 R 4,264

$2,583 £1,938

-89.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$34.8K £26.1K

-80.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$89.8 £67.4

-37.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$47.85 £35.90

-32.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$93.3 £70.0

29.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$126 £94.4

-14.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$1,947 £1,461

-47.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$1,557 £1,168

-53.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$3,311 £2,484

-44.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$2,802 £2,102

-52.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$14.3K £10.7K

-83.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$13.9K £10.5K

-88.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$2,612 £1,959

-37.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.74

131.43%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barnet: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Barnet

$1.6K 54.3% 117% $840

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Barnet

$340 11.8% 51.1% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Barnet

$399 13.9% 118% $216

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Barnet

$352 12.3% 99.6% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Barnet

$161 5.6% 12.4% $18

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Barnet

$28 * 1% 62.6% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Barnet

$34 * 1.2% 49.5% $33

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 $1,947 in Barnet. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 59% higher in Barnet, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $91.0 in Barnet. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $340 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇧 Barnet

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

111,973

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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 Barnet 9,690 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Barnet

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 Barnet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Barnet is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $4,305 in Barnet. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, 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 $91.0 in Barnet. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Barnet, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Barnet at $2,870. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barnet it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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