Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Benguela

For one person, living is cheaper in Benguela: $58.8 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $18,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Benguela

🇦🇴 Angola

$58.8

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,568 in Cape Town versus $58.8 in Benguela.

Cape Town $1,568
Benguela $58.8

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,438 in Cape Town versus $83.2 in Benguela.

Cape Town $2,438
Benguela $83.2

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,307 in Cape Town versus $107 in Benguela.

Cape Town $3,307
Benguela $107

Living in Cape Town is roughly 2565% more expensive than in Benguela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cape Town is 17% above, Benguela is 96% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$2.66 AOA 2,431

342.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$10.78 AOA 9,838

-44.71%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.90 AOA 821

47.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

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

$28.37 R 468

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$3,801 AOA 3.5M

-56.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-56.12%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Benguela: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Benguela

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Benguela

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Benguela

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Benguela

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Benguela

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Benguela

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Benguela

–

Cost Breakdown

Benguela pays 132% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇦🇴 Benguela

🕒 Local time

12:12 12:12 PM

11:12 11:12 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

513,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Angolan Kwanza AOA Kz

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

10,000 AOA = 10.96 USD

10,000 AOA = 9.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AOA, 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 = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Angolan Kwanza exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 913 AOA (1,000 AOA = 1.1 USD). 1 EUR = 1,023 AOA (10,000 AOA = 9.78 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Benguela 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Benguela

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 Benguela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benguela wins on cost – living expenses run 2565% lower than in Cape Town. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Benguela the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 132% lower in Benguela. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

At $58.8 in Benguela versus $1,568 in Cape Town, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Benguela but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Benguela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Benguela delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $58.8 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Benguela hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cape Town and Benguela 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 Benguela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2565% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.