Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Borjomi

For one person, living is cheaper in Borjomi: $979 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Borjomi
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Borjomi Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Borjomi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $979 in Borjomi, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Borjomi $979

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,422 in Borjomi, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Borjomi $1,422

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $1,866 in Borjomi, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Borjomi $1,866

Cape Town costs about 63% more than Borjomi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Borjomi is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$11.66 ₾30.18

3.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$30.42 ₾78.7

53.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$8.68 ₾22.46

-28.57%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.16 ₾5.58

15.74%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$0.73 ₾1.90

84.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.28 ₾0.73

257.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$1.79 ₾4.62

70.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$2.26 ₾5.84

62.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.84 ₾4.76

-29.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.54 ₾1.41

135.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.65 ₾4.27

31.52%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.34 ₾6.06

32.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$8.71 ₾22.55

3.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$5.89 ₾15.26

18.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$9.91 ₾25.64

-2.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$0.80 ₾2.06

133.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$2.01 ₾5.21

-3.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.30 ₾3.38

36.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$1.31 ₾3.40

66.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.56 ₾1.44

171.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.48 ₾1.24

225.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$1.13 ₾2.92

16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.41 ₾1.05

180.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.21 ₾8.31

15.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$5.83 ₾15.08

3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.13 ₾2.93

18.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.56 ₾4.03

36.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$0.38 ₾0.98

307.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$1.17 ₾3.03

-48.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.41 ₾1.06

275.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$5.89 ₾15.25

-14.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.09 ₾2.83

46.79%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$16.0K ₾41.5K

120.67%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$20.8K ₾53.9K

66.39%

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

$119 R 1,955

$34.62 ₾89.6

242.66%

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

$29.42 R 485

$9.09 ₾23.52

223.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$13.57 ₾35.13

193.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$115 ₾297

-55.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$7.01 ₾18.16

28.25%

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

$261 R 4,303

$301 ₾779

-13.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$3,154 ₾8,166

120.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$95.6 ₾248

-41.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$39.47 ₾102

-15.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$131 ₾340

-7.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$116 ₾300

-6.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$310 ₾803

231.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$268 ₾694

168.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$468 ₾1,211

292.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$228 ₾591

495.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$1,177 ₾3,047

104.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$697 ₾1,805

115.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$472 ₾1,222

249.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-8.58%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Borjomi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Borjomi

$268 27.4% 62.8% $452

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Borjomi

$185 18.9% 18% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Borjomi

$57 5.9% 69.5% $131

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Borjomi

$163 16.6% 8.2% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Borjomi

$172 17.6% 19.9% $29

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Borjomi

$4.7 * 0.5% 93.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Borjomi

$129 13.2% 87.5% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $310 in Borjomi. 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 249% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $30.00 in Borjomi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $185 – making Borjomi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇪 Borjomi

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

11,194

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 GEL = 0.386 USD

1 GEL = 0.344 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.386 USD). 1 EUR = 2.91 GEL (1 GEL = 0.344 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Borjomi 8,800 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Borjomi

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 Borjomi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $1,469 in Borjomi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Borjomi, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town and $30.00 in Borjomi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Borjomi, where all-in costs run around $979, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Borjomi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Borjomi – 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 Borjomi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.