Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Name: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Address: CD

For one person, living is cheaper in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: $1,306 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Democratic Republic of the Congo Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,306

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Cape Town is 13.2% cheaper than the Democratic Republic of the Congo without rent, and 20% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Cape Town is 19.8% cheaper than the Democratic Republic of the Congo without rent, and 14.1% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$15.10 CDF 34.7K

-21.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$84.8 CDF 194.9K

-45.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$10.13 CDF 23.3K

-41.16%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$5.64 CDF 13.0K

-56.21%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.81 CDF 4,170

-26.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$1.53 CDF 3,520

-32.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$2.05 CDF 4,724

46.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$4.58 CDF 10.5K

-20.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$2.12 CDF 4,872

-34.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.73 CDF 3,987

-31.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.63 CDF 6,043

-19.77%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$3.16 CDF 7,272

-4.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.32 CDF 19.1K

7.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$8.65 CDF 19.9K

-23.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$10.24 CDF 23.6K

-9.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$3.51 CDF 8,077

-47.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$2.45 CDF 5,641

-22.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$3.23 CDF 7,433

-45.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$2.81 CDF 6,472

-25.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$2.44 CDF 5,608

-36.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$2.77 CDF 6,369

-46.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$2.04 CDF 4,702

-36.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$1.24 CDF 2,844

-6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$4.39 CDF 10.1K

-15.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$14.72 CDF 33.9K

-58.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.84 CDF 4,237

-24.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$3.34 CDF 7,686

-34.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.48 CDF 1,114

214.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$18.33 CDF 42.2K

232.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$5.12 CDF 11.8K

-87.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$1.30 CDF 2,986

17.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$10.18 CDF 23.4K

-52.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.75 CDF 4,025

-9.71%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$20.3K CDF 46.7M

74.96%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$23.2K CDF 53.3M

37.11%

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

$116 R 1,920

$91.1 CDF 209.4K

27.82%

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

$28.37 R 468

$20.72 CDF 47.7K

36.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$70.5 CDF 162.2K

-42.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$57.8 CDF 132.9K

-15.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$21.24 CDF 48.8K

-47.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$14.98 CDF 34.5K

-41.05%

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

$261 R 4,314

$251 CDF 577.9K

4.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$5,049 CDF 11.6M

32.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$32.79 CDF 75.4K

68.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$38.75 CDF 89.1K

-16.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$72.0 CDF 165.5K

63.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$102 CDF 235.2K

4.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$1,596 CDF 3.7M

-36.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$347 CDF 799.0K

105.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$3,618 CDF 8.3M

-50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$1,507 CDF 3.5M

-11.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$3,653 CDF 8.4M

-36.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,004 CDF 2.3M

50.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$635 CDF 1.5M

157.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

13.33

-17.70%

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 Democratic Republic of the Congo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%