Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bournemouth

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,509 in Bournemouth, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
122

Cost of Living Index in Bournemouth
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Bournemouth Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Bournemouth

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $2,509 in Bournemouth, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Bournemouth $2,509

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $3,689 in Bournemouth, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Bournemouth $3,689

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $4,870 in Bournemouth, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Bournemouth $4,870

Cape Town is about 37% cheaper than Bournemouth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Bournemouth sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Bournemouth by 86%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$20.33 £15.25

-40.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$101 £75.6

-55.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$11.68 £8.76

-49.66%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.76 £3.57

-47.48%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$3.21 £2.41

-60.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$2.03 £1.53

-51.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$6.78 £5.09

-55.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$7.19 £5.39

-48.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.61 £1.21

-19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.54 £1.16

-18.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.80 £1.35

23.89%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$4.32 £3.24

-28.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$6.23 £4.68

45.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$9.28 £6.96

-25.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.68 £9.51

-26.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.22 £1.67

-17.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.75 £1.32

12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.94 £1.46

-13.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.11 £1.58

2.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$2.03 £1.52

-22.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.26 £0.95

17.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.89 £1.42

-31.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.69 £1.27

-33.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$23.60 £17.71

-84.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$9.36 £7.02

-34.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.80 £2.10

-50.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.49 £1.87

-14.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.64 £2.73

-58.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$90.8 £68.1

-33.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.23 £2.42

-81.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.29 £1.72

-34.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$32.25 £24.20

-84.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.99 £1.49

-22.11%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$38.2K £28.6K

-5.14%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$40.0K £30.0K

-21.79%

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

$114 R 1,883

$353 £265

-67.61%

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

$28.91 R 476

$16.19 £12.14

78.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$42.90 £32.18

-7.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$37.33 £28.00

31.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$11.71 £8.78

-6.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$17.19 £12.90

-46.77%

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

$259 R 4,264

$2,218 £1,664

-88.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$33.8K £25.4K

-79.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$88.8 £66.6

-36.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$43.86 £32.90

-26.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$82.6 £62.0

46.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$143 £107

-24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$1,258 £944

-18.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$1,146 £860

-37.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$2,670 £2,003

-31.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,898 £1,424

-30.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$6,662 £4,998

-64.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$5,474 £4,107

-71.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$2,920 £2,191

-43.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.96

121.17%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bournemouth: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Bournemouth

$1.1K 45.7% 59.9% $429

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Bournemouth

$273 10.9% 21.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Bournemouth

$412 16.4% 125% $229

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Bournemouth

$324 12.9% 84% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Bournemouth

$161 6.4% 12.9% $18

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Bournemouth

$120 4.8% 60.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Bournemouth

$72 2.9% 6.5% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $1,258 in Bournemouth. 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 78% higher in Bournemouth, 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $101 in Bournemouth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $273 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇧 Bournemouth

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

183,491

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Bournemouth 9,620 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bournemouth

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 Bournemouth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bournemouth costs about 58% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $3,763 in Bournemouth. 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.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town and $101 in Bournemouth. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Bournemouth at $2,509. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bournemouth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,509 in Bournemouth. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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