Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bel Air

For one person, living is cheaper in Bel Air: $590 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Bel Air
Learn more

Bel Air Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Bel Air

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$590

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Bel Air

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $590 in Bel Air.

Cape Town $1,586
Bel Air $590

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $995 in Bel Air.

Cape Town $2,425
Bel Air $995

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $1,400 in Bel Air.

Cape Town $3,263
Bel Air $1,400

Living in Cape Town is roughly 169% more expensive than in Bel Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Bel Air is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.67 MUR 267

114.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$37.95 MUR 1,786

19.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.19 MUR 338

-18.22%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.03 MUR 48.47

142.72%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.07 MUR 50.2

18.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.59 MUR 27.62

66.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.62 MUR 76.1

84.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.13 MUR 148

18.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.62 MUR 76.1

-19.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.78 MUR 36.67

60.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.15 MUR 54.1

93.91%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.54 MUR 120

22.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.29 MUR 249

71.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.30 MUR 296

9.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.14 MUR 525

-16.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.75 MUR 130

-33.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.61 MUR 123

-24.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.38 MUR 65.1

21.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$3.02 MUR 142

-28.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.00 MUR 46.93

57.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.93 MUR 43.84

59.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.69 MUR 32.37

88.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.90 MUR 42.48

25.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.25 MUR 294

-42.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.37 MUR 394

-26.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.60 MUR 75.5

-13.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.27 MUR 107

-5.73%

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

$4.32 MUR 204

-86.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.13 MUR 147

-52.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$21.19 MUR 998

-75.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.35 MUR 63.6

14.81%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.8K MUR 1.7M

1.24%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.7K MUR 1.4M

1.76%

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

$114 R 1,883

$45.32 MUR 2,134

152.25%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.72 MUR 505

169.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$28.55 MUR 1,344

39.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.40 MUR 301

42.97%

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

$259 R 4,264

$128 MUR 6,039

101.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,491 MUR 352.7K

-9.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$77.1 MUR 3,629

-27.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$72.3 MUR 3,403

-55.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$118 MUR 5,568

1.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$76.6 MUR 3,604

41.19%

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 Bel Air: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Bel Air

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Bel Air

$217 36.9% 3.4% $7.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Bel Air

$85 14.3% 53.8% $98

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Bel Air

$100 17% 43.1% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Bel Air

$155 26.3% 8.5% $12

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Bel Air

$20 * 3.4% 73.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Bel Air

$13 * 2.2% 81% $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 $38.00 in Bel Air for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $217 per month, with Bel Air cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Bel Air

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

21:46 9:46 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

17,600

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Bel Air 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bel Air

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 Bel Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bel Air wins on cost – living expenses run 169% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bel Air the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,379 in Cape Town and $885 in Bel Air 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Cape Town. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,586 per month in Cape Town versus $590 in Bel Air – a 169% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $590 in Bel Air versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bel Air but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Bel Air the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bel Air delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $590 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bel Air hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Bel Air 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 Bel Air gentler on the wallet – expenses run 169% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.