Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Castro

For one person, living is cheaper in Castro: $866 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities 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

$1,527

/mo nomad

Castro

🇨🇱 Chile

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $866 in Castro, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Castro $866

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,367 in Castro, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Castro $1,367

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,867 in Castro, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Castro $1,867

Cape Town costs about 76% more than Castro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Castro is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$8.24 CLP 8,060

45.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$44.88 CLP 43.9K

-4.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$5.70 CLP 5,572

7.89%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.54 CLP 1,504

53.90%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.19 CLP 1,162

6.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.99 CLP 969

-5.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$5.07 CLP 4,954

-41.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$7.00 CLP 6,844

-47.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.02 CLP 998

29.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$3.51 CLP 3,431

-65.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.28 CLP 1,252

71.88%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.13 CLP 4,042

-24.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.39 CLP 9,183

-7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$3.94 CLP 3,850

74.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$8.42 CLP 8,230

9.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.32 CLP 1,294

38.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.23 CLP 2,184

-12.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.56 CLP 1,526

6.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.97 CLP 1,927

8.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.16 CLP 1,137

36.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.54 CLP 1,505

-12.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.55 CLP 1,511

-26.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$3.72 CLP 3,639

-3.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.41 CLP 7,247

-18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.02 CLP 1,000

36.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$3.05 CLP 2,980

-28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.66 CLP 650

112.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.34 CLP 1,313

14.93%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$15.2K CLP 14.8M

133.43%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$18.3K CLP 17.9M

82.18%

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

$117 R 1,929

$130 CLP 127.3K

-10.11%

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

$25.71 R 424

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$30.38 CLP 29.7K

29.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

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

$308 R 5,069

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$79.2 CLP 77.4K

46.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$351 CLP 343.5K

197.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$287 CLP 280.4K

133.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$1,011 CLP 988.7K

83.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$574 CLP 560.9K

145.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$597 CLP 584.1K

172.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

55.57%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Castro: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Castro

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Castro

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Castro

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Castro

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Castro

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Castro

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Castro

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $351 in Castro. 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 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $45 in Castro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $230 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇱 Castro

🕒 Local time

06:53 6:53 AM

01:53 1:53 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

33,417

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 978 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,098 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Castro 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Castro

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 Castro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 76% more than Castro, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,299 in Castro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Castro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $351 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $866 in Castro. That makes Castro about 43% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $866 in Castro. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $866 in Castro to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Castro. 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.