Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Campinas

For one person, living is cheaper in Campinas: $947 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Campinas
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Campinas Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Campinas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$947

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $947 in Campinas, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Campinas $947

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,620 in Campinas, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Campinas $1,620

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,293 in Campinas, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Campinas $2,293

Cape Town costs about 61% more than Campinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Campinas is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$9.14 R$50.2

31.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$33.45 R$184

28.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$8.20 R$45.02

-25.00%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.10 R$11.52

12.86%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.25 R$6.85

1.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.87 R$4.80

8.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.24 R$12.28

32.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.75 R$20.59

-1.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.00 R$5.51

32.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.72 R$9.45

-29.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.27 R$6.98

73.23%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.48 R$13.61

25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.85 R$54.0

-11.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$4.62 R$25.35

49.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.64 R$52.9

-3.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.18 R$11.95

-16.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.50 R$8.25

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.40 R$7.67

18.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.23 R$6.75

73.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.13 R$6.18

39.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.10 R$6.03

33.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.86 R$4.70

56.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.79 R$4.32

44.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$2.28 R$12.52

57.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.61 R$41.77

-20.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.40 R$7.66

-0.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.39 R$13.14

-8.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.00 R$5.51

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$41.89 R$230

45.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$0.98 R$5.39

-5.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.75 R$4.11

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$8.79 R$48.25

-43.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.23 R$6.78

25.20%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$21.1K R$115.7K

67.70%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$31.0K R$170.2K

7.57%

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

$117 R 1,929

$60.8 R$333

92.71%

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

$25.71 R 424

$13.72 R$75.3

87.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$21.04 R$115

87.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$27.80 R$153

85.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$33.48 R$184

-66.10%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.23 R$39.67

22.96%

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

$308 R 5,069

$413 R$2,264

-25.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$10.1K R$55.5K

-19.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$59.3 R$325

-3.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$51.8 R$284

-38.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$86.5 R$474

34.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$72.1 R$395

39.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$470 R$2,578

122.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$286 R$1,571

133.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,014 R$5,563

83.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$760 R$4,170

85.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,859 R$10.2K

29.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,214 R$6,662

29.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$500 R$2,741

226.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

10.81

0.74%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Campinas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Campinas

$286 30.2% 57.2% $383

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Campinas

$201 21.2% 10% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Campinas

$96 10.1% 47.6% $87

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Campinas

$150 15.9% 13.7% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Campinas

$121 12.8% 11.8% $16

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Campinas

$51 5.4% 29.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Campinas

$42 4.5% 39.1% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $470 in Campinas. 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 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $33 in Campinas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $201 – making Campinas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Campinas

🕒 Local time

11:35 11:35 AM

06:35 6:35 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,139,047

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Campinas 6,410 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Campinas

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 Campinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 61% more than Campinas, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,421 in Campinas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Campinas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $470 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Cape Town, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $33 in Campinas. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $947 in Campinas. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Campinas costs $947 versus $1,527 in Cape Town. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Campinas. 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.