Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Grahamstown

For one person, living is cheaper in Grahamstown: $1,120 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Grahamstown
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Grahamstown Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Grahamstown

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,120 in Grahamstown, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Grahamstown $1,120

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,775 in Grahamstown, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Grahamstown $1,775

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,430 in Grahamstown, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Grahamstown $2,430

Cape Town costs about 36% more than Grahamstown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Grahamstown is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$10.93 R 181

9.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 712

$41.85 R 694

2.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$6.04 R 100

1.82%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.30

$2.17 R 36.04

9.22%

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

$1.27 R 21.11

$1.05 R 17.38

20.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.56

$0.72 R 11.92

30.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 49.10

$2.75 R 45.59

7.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.2

$3.10 R 51.4

19.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.88

$1.17 R 19.46

12.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 20.00

$1.00 R 16.60

21.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.50

$1.49 R 24.64

47.65%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.5

$2.72 R 45.16

13.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 145

$8.51 R 141

2.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$5.34 R 88.7

29.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 154

$8.25 R 137

12.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$2.16 R 35.76

-15.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.34

$1.52 R 25.20

28.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.50

$1.63 R 27.06

1.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.43

$1.79 R 29.63

19.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.19

$1.68 R 27.89

-5.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.46

$1.37 R 22.80

7.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.33

$1.22 R 20.30

10.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.98

$1.01 R 16.76

12.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.4

$3.26 R 54.0

9.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$4.74 R 78.7

27.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.10

$1.27 R 21.07

9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.15

$1.79 R 29.73

21.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.17

$1.49 R 24.73

-6.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.37

$0.85 R 14.12

9.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.93

$0.46 R 7.64

95.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.3

$8.54 R 142

-41.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.55

$1.49 R 24.76

3.36%

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

$35.4K R 586.7K

$34.6K R 574.4K

2.15%

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

$33.4K R 553.7K

$35.2K R 584.7K

-5.30%

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

$117 R 1,942

$121 R 2,004

-3.09%

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

$25.71 R 427

$34.27 R 569

-24.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 654

$44.91 R 745

-12.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 856

$35.56 R 590

45.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$11.03 R 183

2.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$10.48 R 174

-15.17%

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

$308 R 5,104

$175 R 2,911

75.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 135.1K

$5,021 R 83.3K

62.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 952

$71.2 R 1,181

-19.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 527

$38.95 R 646

-18.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,924

$111 R 1,841

4.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,671

$97.8 R 1,623

2.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.4K

$395 R 6,548

165.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$357 R 5,918

87.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.9K

$742 R 12.3K

150.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$743 R 12.3K

89.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 40.0K

$727 R 12.1K

231.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 26.0K

$741 R 12.3K

111.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 27.0K

$1,205 R 20.0K

35.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

11.94

-8.79%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Grahamstown: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Grahamstown

$357 31.9% 46.7% $312

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Grahamstown

$195 17.4% 12.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Grahamstown

$200 17.9% 9.8% $18

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Grahamstown

$159 14.2% 8.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Grahamstown

$144 12.8% 4.3% $5.9

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Grahamstown

$9.1 * 0.8% 87.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Grahamstown

$57 5.1% 18.5% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $395 in Grahamstown. 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 35% 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $42 in Grahamstown. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $195 – making Grahamstown the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Grahamstown

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

67,264

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Grahamstown 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Grahamstown

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 Grahamstown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 36% more than Grahamstown, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,679 in Grahamstown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Grahamstown, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,120 in Grahamstown. That makes Grahamstown about 27% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Cape Town, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,120 in Grahamstown. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Grahamstown – 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 Grahamstown. 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.