Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and George

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,110 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,110

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,110 in George, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
George $1,110

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $1,847 in George, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
George $1,847

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,584 in George, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
George $2,584

Cape Town costs about 40% more than George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while George is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$10.85 R 181

11.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 740

$41.91 R 700

5.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$4.95 R 82.6

24.24%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.37

$2.13 R 35.57

10.80%

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

$1.26 R 21.10

$1.05 R 17.59

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.62

$0.78 R 12.95

28.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.4

$2.70 R 45.10

14.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.7

$3.25 R 54.3

13.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.45

$1.15 R 19.15

16.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.92

$1.01 R 16.92

17.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.08

$1.50 R 25.09

40.00%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.9

$2.79 R 46.63

9.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$8.68 R 145

0.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$5.29 R 88.2

31.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$6.70 R 112

40.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.50

$1.68 R 27.99

12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.38

$1.55 R 25.80

21.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.13

$1.49 R 24.86

13.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.13

$1.73 R 28.89

17.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.16

$1.71 R 28.48

-8.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.69

$1.40 R 23.32

5.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.40

$1.25 R 20.82

2.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.85

$0.99 R 16.61

20.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.6

$3.20 R 53.4

13.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$4.97 R 83.0

24.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.18

$1.28 R 21.44

8.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.39

$1.75 R 29.17

24.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.87

$1.48 R 24.63

-7.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,023

$27.91 R 466

119.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.59

$0.64 R 10.67

-10.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.66

$0.48 R 7.95

208.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.7

$8.64 R 144

-43.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.33

$1.25 R 20.87

26.40%

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

$34.7K R 579.4K

$29.9K R 499.3K

16.04%

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

$34.1K R 569.2K

$30.0K R 500.5K

13.74%

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

$117 R 1,952

$123 R 2,052

-4.90%

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

$28.35 R 473

$17.56 R 293

61.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 677

$46.26 R 772

-12.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 810

$30.43 R 508

59.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$10.78 R 180

0.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$5.93 R 98.9

53.63%

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

$302 R 5,041

$139 R 2,324

116.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.2K

$5,219 R 87.1K

28.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 922

$72.1 R 1,203

-23.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 546

$38.64 R 645

-15.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,968

$112 R 1,864

5.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,734

$86.8 R 1,448

19.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.4K

$429 R 7,163

142.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$362 R 6,051

90.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.1K

$770 R 12.9K

157.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.2K

$935 R 15.6K

48.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.4K

$855 R 14.3K

182.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$690 R 11.5K

124.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

$1,339 R 22.4K

17.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.92

0.46%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for George: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

George

$362 32.6% 47.5% $328

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

George

$188 17% 15.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

George

$187 16.8% 0.5% $0.9

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

George

$155 13.9% 11.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

George

$139 12.5% 0.2% $0.3

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

George

$37 3.3% 50.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

George

$42 3.8% 36.7% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $429 in George. 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 18% higher in Cape Town, 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 $44 in Cape Town versus $42 in George. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $188 – making George the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 George

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

188,580

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cape Town George 370 km

From you

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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 George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 40% more than George, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,666 in George. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in George, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $429 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,110 in George. That makes George about 29% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 54% less in George. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in George, where all-in costs run around $1,110, than in Cape Town at $1,556. In George it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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