Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Cesis

For one person, living is cheaper in Cesis: $1,102 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cesis
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Cesis Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Cesis

🇱🇻 Latvia

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,102 in Cesis, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Cesis $1,102

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,829 in Cesis, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Cesis $1,829

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,556 in Cesis, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Cesis $2,556

Cape Town costs about 44% more than Cesis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Cesis is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$16.49 €14.67

-26.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$66.9 €59.5

-32.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.00 €8.01

-34.67%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$3.68 €3.28

-32.07%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.62 €1.44

-21.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$1.18 €1.05

-16.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$5.63 €5.00

-46.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$5.08 €4.52

-26.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.19 €1.06

9.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.48 €1.31

-15.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.49 €2.21

-10.44%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.73 €2.43

13.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$10.66 €9.48

-15.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$8.42 €7.49

-17.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$13.46 €11.98

-30.91%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.06 €1.83

-10.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.80 €1.60

8.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.47 €2.20

-32.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.97 €2.65

-26.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.82 €0.73

91.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.90 €0.80

64.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.73 €1.54

-24.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.92 €0.82

22.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.80 €6.05

-47.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.92 €7.05

-22.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.71 €1.52

-19.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.03 €1.80

5.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.28 €2.92

-82.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.98 €0.87

53.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$17.96 €15.97

-71.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.04 €1.81

-24.02%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$27.3K €24.3K

32.52%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.3K €27.0K

3.12%

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

$114 R 1,883

$368 €328

-68.97%

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

$28.91 R 476

$19.14 €17.02

51.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$19.72 €17.54

101.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$11.34 €10.09

-19.31%

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

$259 R 4,264

$683 €608

-62.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$18.2K €16.2K

-62.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$67.9 €60.4

-17.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$51.0 €45.32

-36.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$84.6 €75.2

42.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$136 €121

-20.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$283 €252

368.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,095 €974

49.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.77

129.98%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cesis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Cesis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Cesis

$259 23.5% 15% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Cesis

$407 37% 123% $224

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Cesis

$253 22.9% 43.4% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Cesis

$153 13.9% 7% $10

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Cesis

$8.2 * 0.7% 89.1% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Cesis

$23 * 2.1% 66.3% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 50% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $67.0 in Cesis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $259 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇱🇻 Cesis

🕒 Local time

00:31 12:31 AM

01:31 1:31 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

17,673

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Cesis 10,170 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Cesis

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 Cesis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 44% more than Cesis, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,653 in Cesis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,102 in Cesis. That's a gap of about 44%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $683 in Cesis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cesis, where all-in costs run around $1,102, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Cesis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cesis costs $1,102 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cesis. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.