Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Caxias do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Caxias do Sul: $753 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Caxias do Sul
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Caxias do Sul Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Caxias do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$753

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Caxias do Sul

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 Caxias do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $753 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Caxias do Sul $753

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,275 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Caxias do Sul $1,275

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,797 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Caxias do Sul $1,797

Cape Town costs about 103% more than Caxias do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Caxias do Sul is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$6.58 R$36.11

82.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$35.18 R$193

22.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$6.54 R$35.86

-5.96%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.80 R$9.89

31.67%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.25 R$6.86

1.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.98 R$5.37

-4.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.05 R$11.24

44.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.69 R$14.77

37.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.84 R$4.61

57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.59 R$8.73

-23.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.03 R$5.64

113.59%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$1.76 R$9.64

76.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.16 R$50.3

-4.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$4.52 R$24.78

52.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.11 R$49.97

1.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.43 R$7.85

27.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.03 R$5.63

89.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$0.53 R$2.91

213.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.46 R$8.00

46.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.95 R$5.23

66.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.66 R$3.64

122.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.76 R$4.16

77.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.73 R$3.99

56.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$2.23 R$12.26

60.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$3.63 R$19.93

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.05 R$5.74

32.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.06 R$11.30

5.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.25 R$6.84

12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$40.39 R$222

50.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.35 R$7.43

-31.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.72 R$3.98

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$7.50 R$41.13

-33.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.17 R$6.41

31.62%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$21.7K R$119.0K

63.06%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$30.7K R$168.3K

8.81%

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

$117 R 1,929

$67.6 R$371

73.26%

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

$25.71 R 424

$11.28 R$61.9

127.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$19.87 R$109

98.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$24.13 R$132

113.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$54.9 R$301

-79.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$6.79 R$37.28

30.93%

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

$308 R 5,069

$367 R$2,012

-16.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$23.2K R$127.4K

-64.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$46.81 R$257

22.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$34.42 R$189

-7.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$95.1 R$522

21.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$74.4 R$408

35.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$248 R$1,361

321.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$167 R$917

300.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$632 R$3,466

194.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$401 R$2,200

250.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,622 R$8,900

48.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,138 R$6,244

37.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$511 R$2,803

219.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

11.5

-5.30%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Caxias do Sul: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Caxias do Sul

$167 22.2% 75% $502

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Caxias do Sul

$168 22.3% 24.7% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Caxias do Sul

$99 13.1% 45.8% $83

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Caxias do Sul

$118 15.7% 32% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Caxias do Sul

$113 15% 18% $25

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Caxias do Sul

$50 6.7% 29.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Caxias do Sul

$38 5% 45.6% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $248 in Caxias do Sul. 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 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $35 in Caxias do Sul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $168 – making Caxias do Sul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Caxias do Sul

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

463,501

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 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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Between locations

Cape Town Caxias do Sul 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Caxias do Sul

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 Caxias do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 103% more than Caxias do Sul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,130 in Caxias do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caxias do Sul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $248 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $753 in Caxias do Sul. That makes Caxias do Sul about 51% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Caxias do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Caxias do Sul, where all-in costs run around $753, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Caxias do Sul 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 $753 in Caxias do Sul to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Caxias do Sul. 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.