Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Calabar

For one person, living is cheaper in Calabar: $821 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Calabar

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $821 in Calabar, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Calabar $821

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $1,130 in Calabar, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Calabar $1,130

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,440 in Calabar, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Calabar $1,440

Cape Town costs about 90% more than Calabar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while Calabar is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$1.14 ₦1,531

960.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$0.35 ₦475

260.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$0.19 ₦255

426.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$0.87 ₦1,160

254.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$1.22 ₦1,637

203.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$1.37 ₦1,831

-13.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$1.46 ₦1,959

43.84%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$0.43 ₦577

176.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$4.51 ₦6,047

36.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$1.10 ₦1,480

26.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$1.51 ₦2,020

44.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

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

$117 R 1,948

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

$28.35 R 472

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

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

$302 R 5,032

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$1,138 ₦1.5M

-8.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$761 ₦1.0M

-9.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$1,872 ₦2.5M

5.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$1,328 ₦1.8M

4.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Calabar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Calabar

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Calabar

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Calabar

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Calabar

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Calabar

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Calabar

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Calabar

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $1,138 in Calabar. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇬 Calabar

🕒 Local time

14:57 2:57 PM

13:57 1:57 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

371,022

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Calabar 4,450 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Calabar

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 Calabar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,556 in Cape Town, $821 in Calabar – roughly 90% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $1,232 in Calabar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $1,041 in Cape Town and $1,138 in Calabar. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $821 in Calabar. That’s a gap of about 90%.

Groceries cost about 429% 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 $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Calabar, where all-in costs run around $821, than in Cape Town at $1,556. In Calabar it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $821 in Calabar to $1,556 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.