Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $834 in Hawassa, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Hawassa $834

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,199 in Hawassa, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Hawassa $1,199

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,564 in Hawassa, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Hawassa $1,564

Cape Town costs about 90% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Hawassa is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.90 ETB 625

211.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$42.11 ETB 6,758

7.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.56 ETB 1,054

-10.37%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.95 ETB 153

163.16%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.63 ETB 102

101.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.69 ETB 110

42.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$0.83 ETB 133

260.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.30 ETB 370

61.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.07 ETB 172

21.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.17 ETB 188

6.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.01 ETB 163

120.79%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.58 ETB 253

96.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.40 ETB 1,188

22.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$10.07 ETB 1,616

-31.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$9.09 ETB 1,458

2.31%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$5.35 ETB 859

-65.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.68 ETB 109

188.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$2.13 ETB 341

-21.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.66 ETB 106

228.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.50 ETB 80.5

214.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.06 ETB 169

39.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.69 ETB 110

88.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.57 ETB 91.3

98.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$8.18 ETB 1,312

-55.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$5.55 ETB 891

10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.66 ETB 106

109.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.28 ETB 206

67.19%

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

$1.31 ETB 210

-54.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.27 ETB 42.86

455.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$2.03 ETB 326

151.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.92 ETB 147

68.48%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

-33.70%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

-44.57%

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

$114 R 1,883

$202 ETB 32.5K

-43.46%

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

$28.91 R 476

$7.21 ETB 1,158

300.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$213 ETB 34.2K

-81.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.84 ETB 616

138.28%

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

$259 R 4,264

$136 ETB 21.9K

89.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

-77.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$33.37 ETB 5,356

68.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

-54.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

53.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

29.34%

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

$494 ETB 79.3K

212.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

18.5

-40.70%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Hawassa

$205 24.6% 8.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Hawassa

$423 50.6% 131% $240

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Hawassa

$76 9.2% 56.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Hawassa

$120 14.4% 16.1% $23

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3% 96.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9% 88.6% $60

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 $42.00 in Hawassa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $205 – making Hawassa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

09:08 9:08 AM

10:08 10:08 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

160,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Hawassa 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 90% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,252 in Hawassa. 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 $834 in Hawassa. That's a gap of about 90%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $136 in Hawassa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hawassa, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Hawassa 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. Hawassa costs $834 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Hawassa. 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.