Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Cabo Frio

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Frio: $625 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Frio
Learn more

Cabo Frio Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Cabo Frio

🇧🇷 Brazil

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Cabo Frio

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $625 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Cabo Frio $625

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,031 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Cabo Frio $1,031

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,438 in Cabo Frio, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Cabo Frio $1,438

Cape Town costs about 144% more than Cabo Frio, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Cabo Frio is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$5.58 R$30.71

115.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$27.85 R$153

54.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$6.46 R$35.56

-4.80%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$1.62 R$8.93

46.30%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$1.26 R$6.93

0.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$0.50 R$2.76

88.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$1.13 R$6.21

161.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$1.79 R$9.87

106.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$0.77 R$4.23

71.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.41 R$7.74

-14.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$0.76 R$4.20

189.47%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$1.43 R$7.88

116.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$7.20 R$39.61

21.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$3.18 R$17.52

116.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.19 R$50.6

0.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.77 R$9.74

3.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.10 R$6.07

77.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$0.90 R$4.96

84.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$1.18 R$6.51

81.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$0.64 R$3.52

146.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$0.75 R$4.15

96.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$0.53 R$2.93

154.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.54 R$2.95

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$1.50 R$8.23

138.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$5.50 R$30.29

10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$0.88 R$4.82

57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$1.32 R$7.26

65.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.25 R$6.89

12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$74.7 R$411

-18.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$1.22 R$6.70

-23.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$0.73 R$4.01

23.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$7.24 R$39.83

-31.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.08 R$5.93

42.59%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$19.7K R$108.5K

79.38%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$28.6K R$157.3K

16.78%

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

$117 R 1,935

$54.1 R$298

116.48%

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

$25.71 R 425

$7.04 R$38.77

265.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$12.74 R$70.1

209.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$20.35 R$112

153.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$4.39 R$24.17

102.51%

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

$308 R 5,085

$135 R$742

128.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$2,436 R$13.4K

234.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$42.09 R$232

36.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$37.34 R$206

-14.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$51.9 R$286

123.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$44.49 R$245

126.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$418 R$2,301

150.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$108 R$596

518.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$611 R$3,365

204.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$262 R$1,444

436.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$256 R$1,411

535.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

10.67

2.06%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cabo Frio: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Cabo Frio

$108 17.3% 83.8% $561

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Cabo Frio

$151 24.1% 32.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Cabo Frio

$74 11.8% 59.5% $108

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Cabo Frio

$100 16% 42.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Cabo Frio

$79 12.7% 42.5% $58

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Cabo Frio

$85 13.5% 17.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Cabo Frio

$29 4.7% 58% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $418 in Cabo Frio. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 6.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $28 in Cabo Frio. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $151 – making Cabo Frio the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Cabo Frio

🕒 Local time

23:29 11:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

222,161

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Cabo Frio 5,950 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Cabo Frio

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 Cabo Frio: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cape Town is pricier by about 144%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $938 in Cabo Frio. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo Frio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $625 in Cabo Frio. That makes Cabo Frio about 59% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cabo Frio, where all-in costs run around $625, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Cabo Frio it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo Frio – 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 Cabo Frio. 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.