Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Djibouti

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,075 in Djibouti, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Djibouti
Learn more

Djibouti Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Djibouti

🇩🇯 Djibouti

$2,075

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $2,075 in Djibouti, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Djibouti $2,075

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $3,212 in Djibouti, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Djibouti $3,212

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $4,350 in Djibouti, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Djibouti $4,350

Cape Town is about 24% cheaper than Djibouti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Djibouti sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Djibouti by 55%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$9.64 DJF 1,718

22.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$73.1 DJF 13.0K

-36.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$15.30 DJF 2,727

-61.05%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$3.47 DJF 618

-28.82%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.92 DJF 342

-30.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$1.67 DJF 298

-38.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$6.82 DJF 1,215

-55.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$8.35 DJF 1,487

-56.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$2.80 DJF 499

-50.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$9.45 DJF 1,684

-87.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.69 DJF 480

-21.56%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$5.58 DJF 994

-46.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$9.58 DJF 1,707

-6.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$18.37 DJF 3,273

-63.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$12.16 DJF 2,166

-23.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$3.78 DJF 673

-51.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.19 DJF 212

59.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$2.55 DJF 455

-31.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.60 DJF 286

30.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.62 DJF 289

-4.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.69 DJF 302

-11.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$5.70 DJF 1,016

-77.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.54 DJF 96.3

114.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$1.92 DJF 342

93.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$21.40 DJF 3,813

-71.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$2.33 DJF 415

-40.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$3.46 DJF 616

-36.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.44 DJF 78.2

243.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$41.88 DJF 7,462

45.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$2.88 DJF 513

-78.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$5.68 DJF 1,012

-73.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$27.82 DJF 4,957

-82.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$2.29 DJF 408

-31.00%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$34.1K DJF 6.1M

4.17%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$33.3K DJF 5.9M

-4.53%

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

$116 R 1,920

$522 DJF 93.0K

-77.70%

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

$28.37 R 468

$32.26 DJF 5,748

-12.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$59.2 DJF 10.5K

-31.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$87.3 DJF 15.6K

-44.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$28.46 DJF 5,072

-60.89%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$12.56 DJF 2,239

-29.70%

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

$261 R 4,314

$335 DJF 59.6K

-21.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$8,967 DJF 1.6M

-25.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$41.53 DJF 7,400

33.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$19.33 DJF 3,443

66.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$126 DJF 22.4K

-6.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$55.4 DJF 9,868

93.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$672 DJF 119.7K

51.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$483 DJF 86.1K

47.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$976 DJF 173.9K

84.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$1,268 DJF 226.0K

4.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$12.2K DJF 2.2M

-80.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$6,053 DJF 1.1M

-75.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$2,870 DJF 511.4K

-42.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

13.07

-16.07%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Djibouti: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Djibouti

$483 23.3% 32.4% $232

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Djibouti

$456 21.9% 105% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Djibouti

$613 29.5% 231% $428

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Djibouti

$230 11.1% 32.3% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Djibouti

$109 5.2% 22.6% $32

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Djibouti

$75 3.6% 0.5% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Djibouti

$112 5.4% 69.1% $46

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $672 in Djibouti. 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 75% higher in Djibouti, 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $73.0 in Djibouti. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $456 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇩🇯 Djibouti

🕒 Local time

11:59 11:59 AM

12:59 12:59 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

475,332 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Djiboutian Franc DJF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 DJF = 5.61 USD

1,000 DJF = 5.01 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DJF, 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).

Djiboutian Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 178 DJF (1,000 DJF = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 200 DJF (1,000 DJF = 5.01 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Djibouti 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Djibouti

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 Djibouti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Djibouti costs about 32% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $3,113 in Djibouti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $2,075 in Djibouti. That's a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Djibouti at $2,075. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Djibouti it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $2,075 in Djibouti. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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