Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bloemfontein

For one person, living is cheaper in Bloemfontein: $1,058 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Bloemfontein
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Bloemfontein Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Bloemfontein

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,058 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Bloemfontein $1,058

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $1,668 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Bloemfontein $1,668

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,278 in Bloemfontein, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Bloemfontein $2,278

Cape Town costs about 47% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while Bloemfontein is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 201

$11.85 R 197

2.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 736

$40.31 R 670

10.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$6.98 R 116

-11.89%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.18

$2.10 R 34.84

12.38%

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

$1.26 R 20.99

$1.38 R 22.90

-8.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.54

$1.13 R 18.72

-11.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.2

$2.51 R 41.68

22.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.4

$2.77 R 46.03

33.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.34

$1.03 R 17.17

30.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.83

$1.03 R 17.08

15.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.90

$2.07 R 34.41

1.45%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.6

$2.15 R 35.65

41.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 145

$7.57 R 126

15.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$4.86 R 80.8

43.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 156

$8.03 R 133

16.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.34

$1.88 R 31.26

0.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.22

$1.49 R 24.70

26.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.99

$1.79 R 29.66

-5.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.96

$1.50 R 24.92

36.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.03

$1.51 R 25.05

3.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.57

$1.82 R 30.27

-18.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.29

$1.14 R 18.95

12.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.75

$0.92 R 15.30

29.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.3

$2.44 R 40.46

48.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 102

$4.92 R 81.8

25.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.06

$1.81 R 30.06

-23.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.21

$1.36 R 22.55

60.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.75

$0.92 R 15.34

48.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,018

$75.8 R 1,260

-19.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.54

$1.05 R 17.43

-45.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.54

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.3

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.20

$1.46 R 24.30

8.22%

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

$34.7K R 576.5K

$35.8K R 595.0K

-3.10%

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

$34.1K R 566.4K

$29.2K R 485.1K

16.77%

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

$117 R 1,942

$78.3 R 1,301

49.34%

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

$28.35 R 471

$32.92 R 547

-13.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 674

$32.36 R 538

25.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 806

$31.39 R 521

54.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 179

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 151

$4.94 R 82.1

84.41%

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

$302 R 5,016

$194 R 3,229

55.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 111.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 917

$60.0 R 996

-7.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 543

$41.72 R 693

-21.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,958

$134 R 2,230

-12.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,725

$114 R 1,892

-8.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$311 R 5,167

234.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$279 R 4,631

147.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 32.9K

$510 R 8,469

288.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.0K

$529 R 8,789

162.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.2K

$477 R 7,922

407.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.8K

$617 R 10.3K

151.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.2K

$1,291 R 21.4K

22.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

12.13

-9.56%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bloemfontein: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Bloemfontein

$279 26.4% 59.6% $412

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Bloemfontein

$187 17.7% 16.4% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Bloemfontein

$144 13.6% 22.7% $42

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Bloemfontein

$169 16% 3.6% $6.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Bloemfontein

$157 14.9% 13% $18

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Bloemfontein

$81 * 7.6% 7.8% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Bloemfontein

$41 3.9% 38.2% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $311 in Bloemfontein. 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 22% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $40 in Bloemfontein. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $187 – making Bloemfontein the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Bloemfontein

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

370,000 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Bloemfontein 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bloemfontein

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 Bloemfontein: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 47% more than Bloemfontein, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $1,586 in Bloemfontein. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bloemfontein, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $311 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Cape Town, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town and $40 in Bloemfontein. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,058 in Bloemfontein. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

If budget matters most, go with Bloemfontein. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.