Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Brazzaville

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,931 in Brazzaville, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brazzaville outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Brazzaville
Learn more

Brazzaville Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Brazzaville

🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

$1,931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,931 in Brazzaville, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Brazzaville $1,931

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $2,959 in Brazzaville, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Brazzaville $2,959

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,986 in Brazzaville, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Brazzaville $3,986

Cape Town is about 19% cheaper than Brazzaville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cape Town and Brazzaville sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Brazzaville by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$8.22 FCFA 4,812

43.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$49.75 FCFA 29.1K

-6.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$4.85 FCFA 2,839

22.89%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$4.05 FCFA 2,370

-39.01%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.59 FCFA 929

-16.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$1.31 FCFA 766

-21.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$5.58 FCFA 3,264

-46.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$3.69 FCFA 2,157

-0.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$2.75 FCFA 1,608

-49.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$4.81 FCFA 2,813

-75.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$3.00 FCFA 1,754

-29.67%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.87 FCFA 1,678

4.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$16.06 FCFA 9,399

-44.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$9.45 FCFA 5,527

-29.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$14.39 FCFA 8,422

-35.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.42 FCFA 1,413

-24.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.75 FCFA 1,022

8.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$3.57 FCFA 2,089

-50.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$2.91 FCFA 1,701

-28.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$2.58 FCFA 1,509

-39.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$2.35 FCFA 1,376

-36.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.36 FCFA 796

-4.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.83 FCFA 487

39.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$3.73 FCFA 2,181

-0.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$10.38 FCFA 6,075

-41.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.25 FCFA 145

504.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$23.00 FCFA 13.5K

165.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$1.73 FCFA 1,011

-63.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$1.31 FCFA 768

16.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$6.75 FCFA 3,946

-28.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.36 FCFA 798

16.18%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$29.5K FCFA 17.2M

20.53%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$26.9K FCFA 15.7M

17.95%

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

$116 R 1,920

$839 FCFA 491.1K

-86.13%

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

$28.37 R 468

$17.27 FCFA 10.1K

64.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$42.17 FCFA 24.7K

-3.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$26.27 FCFA 15.4K

85.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$13.90 FCFA 8,133

-19.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$5.60 FCFA 3,279

57.68%

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

$261 R 4,314

$52.2 FCFA 30.5K

401.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$1,175 FCFA 687.2K

-13.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$451 FCFA 264.1K

58.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$3,203 FCFA 1.9M

-43.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$1,449 FCFA 848.0K

-8.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$3,458 FCFA 2.0M

-32.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$2,979 FCFA 1.7M

-49.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$451 FCFA 264.1K

262.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.54

67.74%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Brazzaville: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Brazzaville

$451 23.4% 36.9% $264

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Brazzaville

$338 * 17.5% 51.8% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Brazzaville

$899 46.5% 385% $713

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Brazzaville

$176 9.1% 1.2% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Brazzaville

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Brazzaville

$32 1.7% 57.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Brazzaville

$37 1.9% 43.6% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $1,175 in Brazzaville. 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 262% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $50.0 in Brazzaville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $338 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇬 Brazzaville

🕒 Local time

10:36 10:36 AM

09:36 9:36 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,932,610 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Brazzaville 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Brazzaville

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 Brazzaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazzaville costs about 23% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $2,897 in Brazzaville. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town and $50.0 in Brazzaville. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $1,931 in Brazzaville. That's a gap of about 23%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Brazzaville at $1,931. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brazzaville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,931 in Brazzaville. 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, Brazzaville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.