Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bethlehem

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Bethlehem: $1,586 and $1,603 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Bethlehem
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Bethlehem Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Bethlehem

🇵🇸 Palestine

$1,603

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,603 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Bethlehem $1,603

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,491 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Bethlehem $2,491

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $3,378 in Bethlehem, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Bethlehem $3,378

Cape Town is about 1% cheaper than Bethlehem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Cape Town and Bethlehem sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Bethlehem by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$11.24 ₪34.98

8.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$49.54 ₪154

-8.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$14.10 ₪43.86

-58.30%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.63 ₪14.42

-46.00%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.29 ₪4.00

-1.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.02 ₪3.16

-3.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$6.04 ₪18.80

-50.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$8.23 ₪25.60

-54.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.98 ₪6.17

-34.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.90 ₪2.81

38.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.29 ₪7.14

-2.62%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.62 ₪8.15

18.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.46 ₪32.53

-13.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$9.61 ₪29.91

-27.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$20.63 ₪64.2

-54.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$3.84 ₪11.96

-52.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.09 ₪6.51

-6.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.65 ₪5.15

1.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.49 ₪7.76

-12.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.42 ₪4.43

10.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.65 ₪5.13

-10.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.62 ₪5.04

-19.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.02 ₪3.18

10.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$10.15 ₪31.58

-64.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$14.37 ₪44.72

-57.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.33 ₪7.25

-40.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.32 ₪7.21

-7.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.46 ₪7.64

-39.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$145 ₪453

-58.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.27 ₪10.16

-81.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.24 ₪10.07

-53.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$3.22 ₪10.02

58.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.38 ₪7.42

-34.87%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$40.3K ₪125.5K

-10.23%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$48.5K ₪150.9K

-35.59%

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

$114 R 1,883

$196 ₪609

-41.60%

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

$28.91 R 476

$39.23 ₪122

-26.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$32.64 ₪102

21.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$65.1 ₪203

-24.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$33.04 ₪103

-66.74%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.97 ₪24.81

14.81%

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

$259 R 4,264

$99.0 ₪308

161.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$9,882 ₪30.7K

-31.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$48.66 ₪151

15.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$98.9 ₪308

-67.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$116 ₪360

4.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$165 ₪512

-34.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$493 ₪1,534

107.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$332 ₪1,032

116.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$878 ₪2,732

107.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$645 ₪2,007

105.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,595 ₪4,962

49.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,155 ₪3,595

33.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,320 ₪4,106

24.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

9.70%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bethlehem: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Bethlehem

$332 20.7% 53.7% $385

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Bethlehem

$312 19.5% 38.7% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Bethlehem

$268 16.7% 46.3% $85

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Bethlehem

$244 15.2% 38.4% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Bethlehem

$192 12% 34.8% $50

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Bethlehem

$175 10.9% 134% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Bethlehem

$81 5.1% 20.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $493 in Bethlehem. 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 24% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $50.0 in Bethlehem. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $312 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇵🇸 Bethlehem

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

00:49 12:49 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

29,019

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 ILS = 0.321 USD

1 ILS = 0.286 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.11 ILS (1 ILS = 0.321 USD). 1 EUR = 3.5 ILS (1 ILS = 0.286 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Bethlehem 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bethlehem

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 Bethlehem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bethlehem is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,405 in Bethlehem. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,603 in Bethlehem. That's a gap of about 1%.

Public transport costs about 139% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Bethlehem at $1,603. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bethlehem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Bethlehem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.