Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Dodoma

For one person, living is cheaper in Dodoma: $439 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Dodoma

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$439

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $439 in Dodoma, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Dodoma $439

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $625 in Dodoma, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Dodoma $625

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $811 in Dodoma, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Dodoma $811

Cape Town costs about 257% more than Dodoma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Dodoma is 67% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$2.64 TZS 6,925

346.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$19.09 TZS 50.1K

143.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$7.39 TZS 19.4K

-19.35%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$1.84 TZS 4,828

34.24%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.31 TZS 806

329.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.86 TZS 2,253

19.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$0.81 TZS 2,138

271.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$3.20 TZS 8,389

14.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$0.89 TZS 2,337

56.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.86 TZS 2,250

38.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.02 TZS 2,665

106.86%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.27 TZS 5,959

32.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$5.84 TZS 15.3K

53.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$6.68 TZS 17.5K

-0.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$3.69 TZS 9,679

151.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.48 TZS 6,500

-26.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$0.87 TZS 2,280

118.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$0.78 TZS 2,047

124.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.50 TZS 3,928

39.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.05 TZS 2,759

47.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.67 TZS 4,394

-10.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.46 TZS 1,204

182.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.39 TZS 1,028

197.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$1.55 TZS 4,058

139.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$3.89 TZS 10.2K

55.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$0.87 TZS 2,289

59.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.21 TZS 3,173

81.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.39 TZS 3,659

13.67%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

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

$28.37 R 468

$18.80 TZS 49.3K

50.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$19.16 TZS 50.3K

112.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$56.9 TZS 149.2K

-14.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$7.72 TZS 20.2K

44.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$3.75 TZS 9,834

135.47%

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$7.61 TZS 20.0K

627.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$96.5 TZS 253.3K

641.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dodoma: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Dodoma

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Dodoma

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Dodoma

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Dodoma

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Dodoma

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Dodoma

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Dodoma

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $19.00 in Dodoma. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $148 – making Dodoma the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇿 Dodoma

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

11:48 11:48 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

765,179 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TZS, 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,624 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD). 1 EUR = 2,943 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Dodoma 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Dodoma

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 Dodoma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 257% more than Dodoma, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $658 in Dodoma. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $439 in Dodoma. That's a gap of about 257%.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dodoma, where all-in costs run around $439, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Dodoma 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. Dodoma costs $439 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Dodoma. 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.