Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and the French Southern Territories

For one person, living is cheaper in the French Southern Territories: $288 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,568
/mo nomad
🇹🇫 French Southern Territories
$288
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Cape Town is 199.5% more expensive than the French Southern Territories without rent, and 445.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cape Town is 163.9% more expensive than the French Southern Territories without rent, and 423.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
French Southern Territories
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.78 R 194
-
-
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.55 R 768
-
-
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.96 R 98.4
-
-
Cappuccino
$2.47 R 40.80
-
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 R 21.91
-
-
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 16.99
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.01 R 49.72
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 R 60.4
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
French Southern Territories
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.39 R 22.96
-
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.19 R 19.60
$1.66 €1.48
-28.31%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.11 R 34.84
-
-
Eggs
$3.01 R 49.58
-
-
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.96 R 148
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.65 R 110
-
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.29 R 153
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 R 30.13
-
-
Banana (1kg)
$1.90 R 31.31
-
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.75 R 28.83
-
-
Tomato (1kg)
$2.09 R 34.41
-
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.55 R 25.64
-
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.53
-
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 R 21.41
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 R 19.19
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.71 R 61.2
$13.34 €11.90
-72.19%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.06 R 100
$11.02 €9.83
-45.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 R 22.85
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 R 36.32
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
French Southern Territories
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.51 R 24.98
$2.39 €2.13
-36.82%
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
-
-
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
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
French Southern Territories
Difference
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
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.69 R 671
-
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
French Southern Territories
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.85 R 806
$27.96 €24.95
74.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.13 R 184
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.83 R 146
$13.26 €11.84
-33.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
French Southern Territories
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$261 R 4,314
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,702 R 110.6K
$11.1K €9,878
-39.45%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
French Southern Territories
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.4 R 914
$114 €101
-51.28%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.27 R 532
$35.24 €31.45
-8.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 R 1,939
$102 €90.9
15.35%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 R 1,766
$170 €151
-36.92%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
French Southern Territories
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,015 R 16.7K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$715 R 11.8K
-
-
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
French Southern Territories
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,636 R 27.0K
$3,052 €2,724
-46.39%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.97
0
-

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 French Southern Territories: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$715
French Southern Territories
–
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$222
French Southern Territories
–
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$185
French Southern Territories
–
Eating Out
Cape Town
$174
French Southern Territories
–
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$141
French Southern Territories
–
Getting Around
Cape Town
$75
French Southern Territories
–
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$67
French Southern Territories
–
Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇹🇫 French Southern Territories
🕒 Local time
10:58 10:58 AM
13:58 1:58 PM
3 h ahead of Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
196
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town French Southern Territories 4,530 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • French Southern Territories

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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