Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bat Yam

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,565 in Bat Yam, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Bat Yam
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Bat Yam Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Bat Yam

🇮🇱 Israel

$2,565

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Bat Yam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,568 in Cape Town versus $2,565 in Bat Yam.

Cape Town $1,568
Bat Yam $2,565

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,438 in Cape Town versus $3,832 in Bat Yam.

Cape Town $2,438
Bat Yam $3,832

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,307 in Cape Town versus $5,098 in Bat Yam.

Cape Town $3,307
Bat Yam $5,098

Living in Cape Town costs roughly 39% less than in Bat Yam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 17% above, Bat Yam 91% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$22.50 ₪68.9

-47.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$96.4 ₪295

-51.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$16.87 ₪51.6

-64.67%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$5.08 ₪15.54

-51.38%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$2.95 ₪9.02

-54.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$2.35 ₪7.18

-56.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$10.69 ₪32.71

-71.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$9.97 ₪30.51

-63.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$2.32 ₪7.10

-40.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$2.37 ₪7.26

-49.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.39 ₪7.32

-11.72%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$4.60 ₪14.08

-34.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.02 ₪24.54

11.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$12.09 ₪37.00

-45.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$16.51 ₪50.5

-43.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$3.32 ₪10.17

-44.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$2.99 ₪9.14

-36.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.82 ₪5.56

-3.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$2.60 ₪7.96

-19.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.77 ₪5.40

-12.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.38 ₪4.23

7.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.94 ₪5.93

-32.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$1.01 ₪3.10

14.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$14.28 ₪43.69

-74.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$11.11 ₪33.98

-45.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$2.80 ₪8.56

-50.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$2.51 ₪7.69

-12.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$2.64 ₪8.06

-42.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$96.8 ₪296

-37.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$2.59 ₪7.94

-75.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$1.27 ₪3.89

20.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$41.69 ₪128

-88.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$2.54 ₪7.76

-37.80%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$57.8K ₪176.8K

-38.56%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$59.7K ₪182.8K

-46.86%

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

$116 R 1,920

$266 ₪815

-56.28%

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

$28.37 R 468

$10.52 ₪32.19

169.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$55.1 ₪169

-26.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$78.5 ₪240

-37.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$19.76 ₪60.5

-43.67%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$12.94 ₪39.59

-31.76%

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

$261 R 4,314

$1,142 ₪3,495

-77.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$24.5K ₪74.8K

-72.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$37.94 ₪116

46.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$40.65 ₪124

-20.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$99.8 ₪305

17.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$118 ₪362

-9.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$1,349 ₪4,126

-24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$1,020 ₪3,122

-29.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$2,650 ₪8,109

-32.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$1,747 ₪5,344

-23.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$9,025 ₪27.6K

-74.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$7,285 ₪22.3K

-79.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.07

116.37%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bat Yam: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Bat Yam

$1K 42.1% 42.6% $305

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Bat Yam

$333 13.7% 49.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Bat Yam

$332 13.7% 79% $146

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Bat Yam

$386 15.9% 122% $212

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Bat Yam

$133 5.5% 5% $7.1

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Bat Yam

$116 4.8% 54.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Bat Yam

$104 4.3% 56.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,015 in Cape Town and $1,349 in Bat Yam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $47.00 in Cape Town vs $96.0 in Bat Yam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $333 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇱 Bat Yam

🕒 Local time

08:32 8:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

158,565

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 ILS = 0.327 USD

1 ILS = 0.291 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.06 ILS (1 ILS = 0.327 USD). 1 EUR = 3.43 ILS (1 ILS = 0.291 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Bat Yam 7,530 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bat Yam

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 Bat Yam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 64% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,352 in Cape Town and $3,848 in Bat Yam 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: $1,015 in Cape Town versus $1,349 in Bat Yam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Town – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $96.0 in Bat Yam. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,568 per month in Cape Town versus $2,565 in Bat Yam – a 64% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,568 in Cape Town versus $2,565 in Bat Yam, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cape Town but tight or insufficient in Bat Yam. The gap between the two cities makes Cape Town the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cape Town is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bat Yam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Bat Yam 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 Cape Town gentler on the wallet – expenses run 64% less than in Bat Yam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.