Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Barrow-in-Furness

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,205 in Barrow-in-Furness, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Barrow-in-Furness
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Barrow-in-Furness Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Barrow-in-Furness

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,205

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Barrow-in-Furness

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 Barrow-in-Furness actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $2,205 in Barrow-in-Furness, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Barrow-in-Furness $2,205

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $3,267 in Barrow-in-Furness, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Barrow-in-Furness $3,267

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $4,330 in Barrow-in-Furness, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Barrow-in-Furness $4,330

Cape Town is about 28% cheaper than Barrow-in-Furness, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Barrow-in-Furness sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Barrow-in-Furness by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$26.28 £19.72

-53.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$72.0 £54.0

-36.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$10.55 £7.92

-44.27%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.66 £3.50

-46.35%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.62 £1.97

-51.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.75 £1.31

-44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$5.15 £3.86

-41.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$6.73 £5.05

-44.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.63 £1.23

-20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.50 £1.13

-16.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.06 £1.54

8.25%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$3.71 £2.78

-16.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.83 £6.62

2.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$8.06 £6.04

-14.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$9.98 £7.49

-6.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.36 £2.52

-45.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.87 £1.40

4.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.41 £1.81

-30.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$4.74 £3.55

-54.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$3.07 £2.30

-48.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.56 £1.17

-5.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.50 £1.13

-13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.39 £1.04

-18.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$23.59 £17.70

-84.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$11.98 £8.99

-48.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$4.02 £3.02

-65.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$4.76 £3.57

-55.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.35 £2.51

-55.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$96.5 £72.4

-37.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.56 £3.42

-87.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.61 £1.96

-42.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$18.99 £14.25

-73.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.94 £1.46

-20.10%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$38.6K £28.9K

-6.15%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$40.3K £30.3K

-22.52%

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

$114 R 1,883

$197 £148

-42.04%

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

$28.91 R 476

$16.57 £12.43

74.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$39.56 £29.68

0.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$40.65 £30.50

20.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.80 £5.85

17.31%

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

$259 R 4,264

$1,346 £1,010

-80.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$16.0K £12.0K

-57.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$61.1 £45.86

-8.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$36.56 £27.43

-11.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$76.5 £57.4

57.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$79.1 £59.4

36.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$1,198 £899

-14.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$998 £749

-28.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$2,117 £1,588

-13.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,663 £1,247

-20.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$5,050 £3,789

-52.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$3,890 £2,918

-60.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,980 £1,485

-17.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.61

95.54%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Barrow-in-Furness: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Barrow-in-Furness

$998 45.3% 39.2% $281

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Barrow-in-Furness

$301 13.7% 33.9% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Barrow-in-Furness

$253 11.5% 38.5% $70

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Barrow-in-Furness

$354 16.1% 101% $178

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Barrow-in-Furness

$114 5.2% 20.2% $29

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Barrow-in-Furness

$128 5.8% 70.5% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Barrow-in-Furness

$56 2.6% 16.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $1,198 in Barrow-in-Furness. 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 21% higher in Barrow-in-Furness, 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 $72.0 in Barrow-in-Furness. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $301 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇧 Barrow-in-Furness

🕒 Local time

13:17 1:17 PM

12:17 12:17 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

55,489

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Barrow-in-Furness 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Barrow-in-Furness

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 Barrow-in-Furness: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town, $2,205 in Barrow-in-Furness – roughly 39% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $3,307 in Barrow-in-Furness. 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.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $1,346 in Barrow-in-Furness. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Barrow-in-Furness, 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 Barrow-in-Furness at $2,205. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barrow-in-Furness 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 $1,586 in Cape Town to $2,205 in Barrow-in-Furness. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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