Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Grand Bois

For one person, living is cheaper in Grand Bois: $619 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Grand Bois
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Grand Bois Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Grand Bois

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $619 in Grand Bois, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Grand Bois $619

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,039 in Grand Bois, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Grand Bois $1,039

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,459 in Grand Bois, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Grand Bois $1,459

Cape Town costs about 156% more than Grand Bois, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Grand Bois is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.94 MUR 280

104.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$38.34 MUR 1,805

18.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.34 MUR 346

-19.89%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.58 MUR 121

-3.10%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.17 MUR 55.1

8.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.64 MUR 29.97

53.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.60 MUR 123

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.82 MUR 227

-22.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.53 MUR 72.2

-15.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.72 MUR 34.02

73.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.14 MUR 53.9

95.61%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.55 MUR 120

21.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.28 MUR 248

71.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.29 MUR 296

10.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.43 MUR 538

-18.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.72 MUR 128

-32.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.58 MUR 122

-24.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.45 MUR 68.3

15.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.87 MUR 135

-24.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.96 MUR 45.09

63.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.02 MUR 47.94

45.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.73 MUR 34.21

78.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.89 MUR 41.92

26.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.23 MUR 294

-42.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.38 MUR 394

-26.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.69 MUR 79.3

-18.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.29 MUR 108

-6.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

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

$3.11 MUR 147

-51.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$21.27 MUR 1,002

-75.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.39 MUR 65.6

11.51%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$36.1K MUR 1.7M

0.29%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$31.0K MUR 1.5M

0.90%

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

$114 R 1,883

$45.12 MUR 2,124

153.37%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.39 MUR 489

178.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$29.47 MUR 1,387

34.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.13 MUR 289

49.27%

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

$259 R 4,264

$125 MUR 5,861

107.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,596 MUR 357.6K

-10.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$77.0 MUR 3,625

-27.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$72.7 MUR 3,422

-55.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$120 MUR 5,671

0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$75.7 MUR 3,564

42.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.67

64.47%

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 Bois: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Grand Bois

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Grand Bois

$216 34.9% 3.8% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Grand Bois

$85 13.7% 53.6% $98

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Grand Bois

$130 21% 26% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Grand Bois

$156 25.1% 9% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Grand Bois

$20 * 3.2% 73.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Grand Bois

$12 * 2% 81.8% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $38.00 in Grand Bois. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $216 – making Grand Bois the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Grand Bois

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

20:05 8:05 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

7,804

💱 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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Between locations

Cape Town Grand Bois 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Grand Bois

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 Bois: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 156% more than Grand Bois, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $929 in Grand Bois. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $619 in Grand Bois. That's a gap of about 156%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $125 in Grand Bois. 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 Bois, where all-in costs run around $619, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Grand Bois 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 Bois costs $619 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 Bois. 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.