Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bel Ombre

For one person, living is cheaper in Bel Ombre: $619 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Bel Ombre
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Bel Ombre Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Bel Ombre

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,586 in Cape Town versus $619 in Bel Ombre.

Cape Town $1,586
Bel Ombre $619

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,425 in Cape Town versus $1,039 in Bel Ombre.

Cape Town $2,425
Bel Ombre $1,039

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,263 in Cape Town versus $1,459 in Bel Ombre.

Cape Town $3,263
Bel Ombre $1,459

Living in Cape Town is roughly 156% more expensive than in Bel Ombre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Bel Ombre is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.96 MUR 281

103.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$38.38 MUR 1,807

18.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.21 MUR 339

-18.45%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.58 MUR 121

-3.10%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.18 MUR 55.4

7.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.62 MUR 29.41

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.61 MUR 123

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.75 MUR 223

-21.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.60 MUR 75.1

-18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.73 MUR 34.46

71.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.14 MUR 53.8

95.61%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.65 MUR 125

17.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.17 MUR 243

75.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.28 MUR 296

10.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.04 MUR 520

-15.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.86 MUR 135

-35.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.65 MUR 125

-26.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.39 MUR 65.7

20.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.91 MUR 137

-25.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.01 MUR 47.74

55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.98 MUR 46.28

51.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.69 MUR 32.33

88.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.90 MUR 42.45

25.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.49 MUR 306

-44.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.17 MUR 385

-24.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.68 MUR 79.1

-17.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.36 MUR 111

-9.32%

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

$4.13 MUR 194

-85.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.07 MUR 145

-51.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$20.89 MUR 983

-75.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.34 MUR 63.1

15.67%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$36.6K MUR 1.7M

-1.04%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.5K MUR 1.4M

2.46%

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

$114 R 1,883

$44.89 MUR 2,113

154.67%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.56 MUR 497

173.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$29.00 MUR 1,365

37.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.28 MUR 295

45.70%

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

$259 R 4,264

$125 MUR 5,885

107.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,726 MUR 363.7K

-12.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$76.2 MUR 3,587

-26.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$74.4 MUR 3,502

-56.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$117 MUR 5,512

3.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$77.9 MUR 3,665

38.83%

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 Ombre: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Bel Ombre

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Bel Ombre

$217 35% 3.6% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Bel Ombre

$84 13.7% 53.8% $99

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Bel Ombre

$130 21% 26.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Bel Ombre

$155 25.1% 8.9% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Bel Ombre

$19 * 3.2% 74% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Bel Ombre

$13 * 2% 81.4% $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 Ombre for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $225 vs $217 per month, with Bel Ombre cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Bel Ombre

🕒 Local time

18:56 6:56 PM

20:56 8:56 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

2,417

💱 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 Ombre 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bel Ombre

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 Ombre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bel Ombre wins on cost – living expenses run 156% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bel Ombre the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,379 in Cape Town and $928 in Bel Ombre 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.

Childcare runs $259 in Cape Town versus $125 in Bel Ombre. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bel Ombre – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $45.00 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $619 in Bel Ombre versus $1,586 in Cape Town, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bel Ombre but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Bel Ombre the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bel Ombre delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $619 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bel Ombre hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Bel Ombre 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 Ombre gentler on the wallet – expenses run 156% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.