Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Bra

For one person, living costs are similar in Cape Town and in Bra: $1,527 and $1,558 a month, rent and utilities included.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Bra
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Bra Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Bra

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,558

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,527 in Cape Town versus $1,558 in Bra.

Cape Town $1,527
Bra $1,558

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,417 in Cape Town versus $2,249 in Bra.

Cape Town $2,417
Bra $2,249

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,306 in Cape Town versus $2,940 in Bra.

Cape Town $3,306
Bra $2,940

Monthly costs are close between Cape Town and Bra; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cape Town 13% above, Bra 15% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$22.73 €20.25

-47.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$39.55 €35.23

8.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.40 €10.15

-46.05%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$1.75 €1.56

35.43%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$3.66 €3.26

-65.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$1.65 €1.47

-43.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$5.47 €4.87

-45.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$4.38 €3.90

-15.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.63 €1.45

-19.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$2.58 €2.30

-53.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$2.69 €2.40

-18.22%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$3.20 €2.85

-3.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$13.06 €11.63

-33.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$11.50 €10.25

-40.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$18.91 €16.84

-51.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$2.23 €1.98

-17.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.14 €1.91

-8.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$2.31 €2.06

-28.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$3.27 €2.91

-34.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.65 €1.47

-4.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.65 €1.47

-10.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$1.13 €1.01

19.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$0.58 €0.52

96.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$6.63 €5.91

-46.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$6.08 €5.42

-0.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$1.64 €1.46

-15.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.28 €2.03

-4.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$1.70 €1.51

-17.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$44.86 €39.96

35.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$8.01 €7.14

-88.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$2.21 €1.97

-59.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$11.40 €10.16

-56.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$2.08 €1.85

-25.96%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$27.4K €24.4K

29.13%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$29.4K €26.2K

13.48%

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

$117 R 1,918

$113 €100

3.84%

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

$25.71 R 421

$10.12 €9.02

154.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$27.49 €24.49

43.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$79.1 €70.5

-34.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$9.09 €8.10

-2.20%

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

$308 R 5,040

$112 €99.8

174.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$25.5K €22.8K

-68.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$96.7 €86.1

-40.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$49.26 €43.88

-35.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$115 €102

1.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$134 €119

-24.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$665 €593

57.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$455 €405

47.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$552 €492

237.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$505 €450

178.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.1

251.29%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bra: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Bra

$455 29.2% 32.1% $215

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Bra

$313 20.1% 40.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Bra

$150 9.7% 17.5% $32

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Bra

$294 18.9% 69.2% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Bra

$177 11.4% 28.9% $40

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Bra

$71 4.5% 1.4% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Bra

$97 6.2% 40.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,047 in Cape Town and $665 in Bra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $43 in Cape Town vs $40 in Bra. Groceries flip the comparison at $223 vs $313, with Cape Town cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇹 Bra

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

30,224

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Bra 8,810 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Bra

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 Bra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You’d need roughly $2,291 in Cape Town and $2,337 in Bra to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,047 in Cape Town versus $665 in Bra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bra runs roughly 26% less than in Cape Town. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Bra. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cape Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.