Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Glarus

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,326 in Glarus, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Glarus
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Glarus Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Glarus

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,326

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $3,326 in Glarus, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Glarus $3,326

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $5,048 in Glarus, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Glarus $5,048

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $6,769 in Glarus, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Glarus $6,769

Cape Town is about 54% cheaper than Glarus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Glarus sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Glarus by 146%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$28.96 CHF 23.69

-58.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$123 CHF 100

-65.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$17.49 CHF 14.30

-64.84%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$6.29 CHF 5.15

-62.32%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$3.79 CHF 3.10

-66.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$3.90 CHF 3.19

-75.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$9.40 CHF 7.69

-68.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$6.22 CHF 5.09

-40.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$2.22 CHF 1.82

-40.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$3.26 CHF 2.66

-62.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$2.90 CHF 2.37

-24.14%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$8.04 CHF 6.58

-61.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$8.52 CHF 6.97

2.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$14.36 CHF 11.74

-52.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$39.26 CHF 32.11

-76.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$3.16 CHF 2.58

-42.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$1.56 CHF 1.27

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$2.35 CHF 1.93

-29.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$5.44 CHF 4.45

-60.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.75 CHF 1.43

-9.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$2.13 CHF 1.74

-30.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-38.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.21 CHF 0.99

-5.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$11.01 CHF 9.00

-67.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$11.41 CHF 9.33

-46.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$2.19 CHF 1.79

-36.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.36 CHF 1.93

-7.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$6.16 CHF 5.04

-77.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$225 CHF 184

-73.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$6.88 CHF 5.63

-86.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$4.74 CHF 3.88

-81.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$80.7 CHF 66.0

-93.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$2.35 CHF 1.92

-34.47%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$39.1K CHF 31.9K

-9.47%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$39.7K CHF 32.5K

-15.99%

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

$117 R 1,918

$318 CHF 260

-63.18%

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

$25.71 R 421

$39.16 CHF 32.03

-34.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$54.3 CHF 44.43

-27.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$162 CHF 133

-68.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$43.45 CHF 35.54

-73.88%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$25.38 CHF 20.76

-64.97%

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

$308 R 5,040

$2,287 CHF 1,871

-86.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$32.0K CHF 26.1K

-74.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$103 CHF 84.5

-44.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$42.18 CHF 34.50

-24.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$134 CHF 110

-13.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$99.1 CHF 81.0

1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$1,721 CHF 1,407

-39.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,355 CHF 1,108

-50.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$2,964 CHF 2,424

-37.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$2,307 CHF 1,887

-39.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

2.1

418.57%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Glarus: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Glarus

$1.4K 40.7% 102% $685

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Glarus

$447 13.4% 100% $223

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Glarus

$411 12.4% 126% $229

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Glarus

$450 13.5% 159% $276

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Glarus

$171 5.1% 23.9% $33

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Glarus

$280 8.4% 291% $208

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Glarus

$213 6.4% 207% $144

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,721 in Glarus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $123 in Glarus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $447 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇭 Glarus

🕒 Local time

02:44 2:44 AM

01:44 1:44 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

12,500

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.918 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Glarus 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Glarus

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 Glarus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Glarus costs about 118% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $4,989 in Glarus. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,721 in Glarus.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,326 in Glarus. That makes Cape Town about 54% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,326 in Glarus. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Cape Town is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 54% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.