Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Barretos

For one person, living is cheaper in Barretos: $786 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Barretos
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Barretos Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Barretos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$786

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $786 in Barretos, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Barretos $786

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,264 in Barretos, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Barretos $1,264

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,742 in Barretos, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Barretos $1,742

Cape Town costs about 94% more than Barretos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Barretos is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$6.48 R$35.54

85.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$22.43 R$123

91.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$5.90 R$32.39

4.24%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.53 R$8.40

54.90%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.19 R$6.51

6.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.54 R$2.96

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.27 R$12.43

30.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.75 R$15.07

34.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.95 R$5.19

38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.86 R$10.18

-34.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.23 R$6.75

78.86%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.30 R$12.62

34.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$10.14 R$55.7

-13.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$4.41 R$24.18

56.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$10.10 R$55.4

-8.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.22 R$12.19

-17.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.52 R$8.33

28.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.41 R$7.74

17.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.26 R$6.93

69.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.22 R$6.72

29.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.16 R$6.38

26.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.91 R$4.97

48.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.75 R$4.14

52.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$2.35 R$12.87

52.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.77 R$42.65

-22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.40 R$7.70

-0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.35 R$12.89

-7.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.00 R$5.51

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$41.65 R$229

45.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.09 R$5.97

-14.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.72 R$3.95

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$7.90 R$43.35

-37.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$0.87 R$4.80

77.01%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$22.1K R$121.1K

60.26%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$31.4K R$172.1K

6.37%

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

$117 R 1,929

$28.27 R$155

314.11%

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

$25.71 R 424

$5.57 R$30.54

361.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$14.98 R$82.2

163.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$23.15 R$127

122.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$25.47 R$140

-55.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.49 R$41.11

18.69%

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

$308 R 5,069

$401 R$2,203

-23.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$10.2K R$56.1K

-20.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$60.9 R$334

-5.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$22.28 R$122

42.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$82.6 R$453

40.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$64.3 R$353

56.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$335 R$1,840

212.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$231 R$1,265

190.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$636 R$3,488

192.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$450 R$2,467

213.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,579 R$8,662

52.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,130 R$6,201

38.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$532 R$2,920

206.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

10.81

0.74%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Barretos: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Barretos

$230 29.3% 65.6% $439

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Barretos

$203 25.8% 9.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Barretos

$49 6.2% 73.2% $133

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Barretos

$112 14.2% 35.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Barretos

$104 13.2% 24.8% $34

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Barretos

$50 6.4% 29.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Barretos

$38 4.9% 45% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $335 in Barretos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $22 in Barretos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $203 – making Barretos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Barretos

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

01:04 1:04 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

122,485

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 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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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Barretos 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Barretos

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 Barretos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town, $786 in Barretos – Barretos comes out roughly 49% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,179 in Barretos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barretos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $22 in Barretos. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $786 in Barretos. That makes Barretos about 49% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Barretos, where all-in costs run around $786, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Barretos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $786 in Barretos to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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