Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Grand Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Grand Bay: $1,176 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Grand Bay
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Grand Bay Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Grand Bay

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Grand Bay

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,176 in Grand Bay, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Grand Bay $1,176

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,240 in Grand Bay, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Grand Bay $2,240

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $3,304 in Grand Bay, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Grand Bay $3,304

Cape Town costs about 35% more than Grand Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.67 MUR 267

114.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$62.7 MUR 2,951

-27.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.00 MUR 330

-16.00%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.60 MUR 122

-3.85%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.18 MUR 55.7

7.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.63 MUR 29.89

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.67 MUR 126

11.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.74 MUR 223

-21.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.40 MUR 65.7

-7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.71 MUR 33.65

76.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.10 MUR 51.6

102.73%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.42 MUR 114

28.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$20.36 MUR 959

-55.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.27 MUR 295

10.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$21.35 MUR 1,005

-56.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.88 MUR 88.3

-2.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.03 MUR 95.7

-3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.44 MUR 67.7

15.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.92 MUR 137

-25.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.95 MUR 44.73

65.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.99 MUR 46.62

49.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.70 MUR 32.89

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.56 MUR 26.59

101.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.58 MUR 310

-45.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.28 MUR 390

-25.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.69 MUR 79.4

-18.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.04 MUR 95.8

4.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.03 MUR 48.61

45.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.31 MUR 203

-86.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.44 MUR 115

-38.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$20.86 MUR 982

-75.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.41 MUR 66.3

9.93%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$34.4K MUR 1.6M

5.32%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$36.3K MUR 1.7M

-13.85%

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

$114 R 1,883

$45.51 MUR 2,143

151.20%

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

$28.91 R 476

$15.73 MUR 741

83.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$29.36 MUR 1,383

35.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$57.6 MUR 2,713

-14.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.47 MUR 305

41.42%

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

$259 R 4,264

$125 MUR 5,881

107.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,478 MUR 352.1K

-9.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$60.7 MUR 2,857

-7.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$62.8 MUR 2,954

-48.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$107 MUR 5,038

12.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$86.8 MUR 4,084

24.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$595 MUR 28.0K

71.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$447 MUR 21.0K

60.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$2,067 MUR 97.3K

-11.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,476 MUR 69.5K

-10.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,289 MUR 60.7K

27.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

82.83%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Grand Bay: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Grand Bay

$447 38% 37.7% $270

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Grand Bay

$277 23.6% 23.2% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Grand Bay

$91 7.7% 50.5% $92

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Grand Bay

$128 10.9% 27.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Grand Bay

$143 12.1% 0% $0

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Grand Bay

$21 * 1.8% 72.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Grand Bay

$71 6% 4.8% $3.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $595 in Grand Bay. 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 27% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $63.0 in Grand Bay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $277 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Grand Bay

🕒 Local time

20:42 8:42 PM

22:42 10:42 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

11,900

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Grand Bay 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Grand Bay

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 Grand Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 35% more than Grand Bay, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,764 in Grand Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Grand Bay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,176 in Grand Bay. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $125 in Grand Bay. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Grand Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,176, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Grand Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Grand Bay costs $1,176 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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