Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and East London

For one person, living is cheaper in East London: $992 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in East London
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East London Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

East London

🇿🇦 South Africa

$992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in East London

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $992 in East London, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
East London $992

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $1,611 in East London, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
East London $1,611

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,230 in East London, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
East London $2,230

Cape Town costs about 57% more than East London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while East London is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 201

$9.10 R 151

32.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 736

$38.23 R 635

15.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$5.57 R 92.6

10.41%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.18

$2.05 R 34.02

15.12%

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

$1.26 R 20.99

$1.04 R 17.30

21.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.54

$0.76 R 12.68

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.2

$2.69 R 44.63

14.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.4

$3.21 R 53.3

15.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.34

$1.18 R 19.67

13.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.83

$0.87 R 14.51

36.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.90

$1.44 R 23.95

45.83%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.6

$2.27 R 37.76

34.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 145

$8.37 R 139

4.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$5.49 R 91.3

26.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 156

$6.71 R 111

39.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.34

$1.46 R 24.27

29.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.22

$1.53 R 25.40

22.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.99

$1.63 R 27.13

3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 33.96

$1.43 R 23.82

42.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.03

$1.68 R 27.85

-6.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.57

$1.43 R 23.70

3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.29

$1.17 R 19.46

9.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.75

$0.95 R 15.80

25.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.3

$2.89 R 48.01

25.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 102

$4.70 R 78.0

31.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.06

$1.19 R 19.77

16.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.21

$0.98 R 16.35

122.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.75

$1.47 R 24.49

-6.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,018

$46.85 R 778

30.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.54

$1.22 R 20.28

-53.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.54

$0.46 R 7.58

221.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.3

$8.38 R 139

-41.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.20

$1.35 R 22.41

17.04%

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

$34.7K R 576.5K

$34.7K R 575.9K

0.12%

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

$34.1K R 566.4K

$29.3K R 486.4K

16.46%

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

$117 R 1,942

$122 R 2,031

-4.38%

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

$28.35 R 471

$32.64 R 542

-13.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 674

$44.35 R 737

-8.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 806

$39.51 R 656

22.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 179

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 151

$4.54 R 75.5

100.66%

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

$302 R 5,016

$177 R 2,942

70.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 111.6K

$5,438 R 90.3K

23.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 917

$56.8 R 944

-2.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 543

$32.80 R 545

-0.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,958

$73.1 R 1,214

61.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,725

$95.2 R 1,581

9.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$290 R 4,823

258.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$251 R 4,163

175.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 32.9K

$543 R 9,014

265.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.0K

$633 R 10.5K

119.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.2K

$1,664 R 27.6K

-5.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-0.27%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for East London: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

East London

$251 25.3% 63.7% $440

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

East London

$180 18.1% 19.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

East London

$199 20.1% 7.2% $13

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

East London

$141 14.2% 19.5% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

East London

$116 11.7% 16.7% $23

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

East London

$56 5.7% 24.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

East London

$49 4.9% 27.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $290 in East London. 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 6% higher in East London, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $38 in East London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $180 – making East London the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 East London

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

267,007

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town East London 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
East London

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 East London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 57% more than East London, 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 $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $1,487 in East London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in East London, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $992 in East London. That makes East London about 36% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 24% less in East London. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in East London, where all-in costs run around $992, than in Cape Town at $1,556. In East London it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward East London – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, East London is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 36% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.