Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Centurion

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,367 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,367

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,367 in Centurion, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Centurion $1,367

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $2,206 in Centurion, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Centurion $2,206

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,045 in Centurion, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Centurion $3,045

Cape Town costs about 14% more than Centurion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 201

$21.75 R 361

-44.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 736

$40.00 R 664

10.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$5.75 R 95.5

6.96%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.18

$2.67 R 44.30

-11.61%

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

$1.26 R 20.99

$0.97 R 16.05

29.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.54

$0.87 R 14.41

14.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.2

$2.04 R 33.90

50.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.4

$2.42 R 40.14

52.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.34

$1.17 R 19.35

14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.83

$1.21 R 20.13

-1.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.90

$2.11 R 35.07

-0.47%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.6

$2.93 R 48.73

4.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 145

$10.09 R 168

-13.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$6.63 R 110

5.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 156

$7.26 R 121

29.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.34

$1.86 R 30.91

1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.22

$1.86 R 30.93

1.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.99

$2.14 R 35.49

-21.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.96

$2.05 R 34.08

-0.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.03

$1.59 R 26.34

-1.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.57

$1.78 R 29.58

-16.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.29

$1.36 R 22.52

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.75

$1.39 R 23.06

-14.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.3

$3.70 R 61.4

-1.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 102

$5.94 R 98.7

3.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.06

$1.58 R 26.26

-12.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.21

$2.09 R 34.68

4.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.75

$2.36 R 39.18

-41.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,018

$97.4 R 1,617

-37.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.54

$1.22 R 20.30

-53.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.54

$1.18 R 19.61

25.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.3

$9.04 R 150

-45.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.20

$1.44 R 23.93

9.72%

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

$34.7K R 576.5K

$35.7K R 593.0K

-2.78%

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

$34.1K R 566.4K

$32.9K R 545.8K

3.78%

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

$117 R 1,942

$136 R 2,263

-14.17%

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

$28.35 R 471

$29.89 R 497

-5.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 674

$40.20 R 668

0.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 806

$43.78 R 727

10.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 179

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 151

$10.59 R 176

-13.98%

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

$302 R 5,016

$315 R 5,226

-4.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 111.6K

$4,416 R 73.4K

52.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 917

$58.5 R 972

-5.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 543

$43.25 R 718

-24.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,958

$117 R 1,944

0.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,725

$102 R 1,696

1.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$335 R 5,571

210.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$369 R 6,124

87.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 32.9K

$581 R 9,643

241.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.0K

$891 R 14.8K

55.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.2K

$527 R 8,757

359.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.8K

$605 R 10.0K

156.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.2K

$2,364 R 39.3K

-33.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.5

4.48%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Centurion: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Centurion

$369 27% 46.6% $322

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Centurion

$223 16.3% 0.3% $0.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Centurion

$206 15.1% 11% $20

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Centurion

$246 18% 40.1% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Centurion

$144 10.6% 3.6% $5

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Centurion

$114 8.3% 52.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Centurion

$65 4.8% 2.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $335 in Centurion. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 50% higher in Centurion, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $40 in Centurion. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $223 – making Centurion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Centurion

🕒 Local time

09:31 9:31 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

236,580

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Centurion 1,300 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Centurion

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 Centurion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 14% more than Centurion, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $2,050 in Centurion. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Centurion, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,367 in Centurion. That makes Centurion about 12% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $302 per month in Cape Town and $315 in Centurion. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,367 in Centurion. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Centurion costs $1,367 versus $1,556 in Cape Town. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.