Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and the Central African Republic

Name: Central African Republic
Address: CF

For one person, living is cheaper in the Central African Republic: $418 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 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

$1,568

/mo nomad

🇨🇫 Central African Republic

$418

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Cape Town is 81.2% more expensive than the Central African Republic without rent, and 275.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cape Town is 74.4% more expensive than the Central African Republic without rent, and 256.3% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

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

$1.33 R 21.91

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$1.76 FCFA 1,029

-41.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$3.50 FCFA 2,050

-14.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$5.01 FCFA 2,932

-26.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$5.18 FCFA 3,031

-73.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$4.36 FCFA 2,550

-72.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$4.17 FCFA 2,437

-49.40%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$5.09 FCFA 2,975

-40.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.46 FCFA 4,948

5.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$8.68 FCFA 5,079

-23.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$3.52 FCFA 2,059

163.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$7.02 FCFA 4,109

-75.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$5.24 FCFA 3,065

-60.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$4.37 FCFA 2,554

-64.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$6.00 FCFA 3,511

-75.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$2.55 FCFA 1,495

-49.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$2.60 FCFA 1,519

-55.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$4.18 FCFA 2,446

-11.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$11.60 FCFA 6,788

-47.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$5.87 FCFA 3,435

-76.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$4.34 FCFA 2,537

-49.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$2.52 FCFA 1,474

-37.30%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

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

$28.37 R 468

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$1,387 FCFA 811.4K

-26.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$1,389 FCFA 812.7K

67.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,656 FCFA 968.8K

-8.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$841 FCFA 492.1K

94.52%

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 4, 2026

Last update for the Central African Republic: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Central African Republic

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Central African Republic

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Central African Republic

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Central African Republic

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Central African Republic

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Central African Republic

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Central African Republic

–

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇫 Central African Republic

🕒 Local time

12:49 12:49 PM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

5,152,421

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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