Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Chichester

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,366 in Chichester, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Chichester
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,366
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $2,366 in Chichester, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,586
  • Chichester $2,366

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $3,567 in Chichester, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,425
  • Chichester $3,567

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $4,768 in Chichester, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,263
  • Chichester $4,768

Cape Town is about 33% cheaper than Chichester, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Chichester sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Chichester by 75%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Chichester
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.14 R 200
$20.06 £15.05
-39.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.34 R 747
$91.7 £68.8
-50.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.88 R 96.9
$10.11 £7.58
-41.84%
Cappuccino
$2.50 R 41.18
$4.92 £3.69
-49.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 20.94
$2.64 £1.98
-51.89%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 R 16.14
$2.24 £1.68
-56.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.99 R 49.33
$6.37 £4.78
-53.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 R 61.4
$6.46 £4.85
-42.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Chichester
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.40
$1.44 £1.08
-9.72%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 R 20.68
$1.53 £1.15
-18.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.23 R 36.76
$2.87 £2.15
-22.30%
Eggs
$3.11 R 51.2
$3.41 £2.55
-8.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.06 R 149
$11.25 £8.44
-19.47%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.92 R 114
$8.51 £6.38
-18.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.30 R 153
$13.05 £9.79
-28.74%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 R 30.25
$2.92 £2.19
-36.99%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 R 32.29
$1.45 £1.09
35.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 R 27.45
$2.78 £2.09
-39.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 R 35.70
$3.17 £2.38
-31.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 R 25.81
$1.59 £1.19
-1.26%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 R 24.45
$1.41 £1.06
4.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 R 21.41
$1.20 £0.90
8.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 R 18.60
$1.46 £1.09
-22.60%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.60 R 59.3
$22.93 £17.20
-84.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.15 R 101
$11.17 £8.38
-44.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 22.66
$2.24 £1.68
-38.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 R 35.20
$2.17 £1.63
-1.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Chichester
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 R 24.65
$3.54 £2.65
-57.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.8 R 1,001
$96.0 £72.0
-36.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.59 R 9.71
$5.17 £3.88
-88.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.50 R 24.65
$2.51 £1.88
-40.24%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.11 R 84.2
$13.27 £9.95
-61.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 R 25.50
$2.02 £1.51
-23.27%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.2K R 596.5K
$38.5K £28.9K
-5.96%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K R 514.8K
$40.1K £30.1K
-22.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Chichester
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$114 R 1,883
$318 £239
-64.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.91 R 476
$19.44 £14.58
48.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.73 R 654
$42.95 £32.22
-7.50%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Chichester
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.01 R 808
$46.85 £35.14
4.61%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.99 R 181
$13.23 £9.93
-16.93%
Cinema Ticket
$9.15 R 151
$13.30 £9.98
-31.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Chichester
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$259 R 4,264
$1,770 £1,328
-85.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,794 R 111.9K
$19.5K £14.6K
-65.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Chichester
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 R 926
$74.3 £55.7
-24.34%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.41 R 534
$60.2 £45.18
-46.19%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 R 1,987
$101 £75.5
19.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 R 1,781
$106 £79.4
2.12%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Chichester
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,021 R 16.8K
$1,241 £931
-17.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$717 R 11.8K
$1,029 £772
-30.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,824 R 30.1K
$2,074 £1,556
-12.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,327 R 21.9K
$1,850 £1,388
-28.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,391 R 39.4K
$5,073 £3,806
-52.87%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,542 R 25.4K
$3,823 £2,868
-59.67%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Chichester
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,639 R 27.0K
$2,471 £1,854
-33.68%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.97
5.16
112.60%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chichester: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$717
Chichester
$1K 43.5% $312
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$225
Chichester
$288 28.2% $63
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$183
Chichester
$380 108% $197
Eating Out
Cape Town
$176
Chichester
$314 78.3% $138
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$143
Chichester
$153 7.5% $11
Getting Around
Cape Town
$75
Chichester
$128 71% $53
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$67
Chichester
$73 9.1% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $1,241 in Chichester. 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 51% higher in Chichester, 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 $92.0 in Chichester. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $288 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇬🇧 Chichester
🕒 Local time
20:42 8:42 PM
19:42 7:42 PM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
23,700
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Chichester 9,610 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Chichester

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 Chichester: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cape Town or Chichester?
Chichester costs about 49% more than Cape Town, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cape Town and in Chichester?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $3,550 in Chichester. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Cape Town or Chichester?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Cape Town compared to Chichester?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $2,366 in Chichester. That's a gap of about 49%.
How expensive is transport in Cape Town compared to Chichester?
Public transport costs about 58% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cape Town or in Chichester?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Chichester at $2,366. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chichester it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cape Town or Chichester?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,366 in Chichester. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Cape Town compared to Chichester?
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.
Should I move to Cape Town or to Chichester?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chichester makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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