Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Hermanus

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermanus: $1,118 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Hermanus
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Hermanus Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Hermanus

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,118

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,118 in Hermanus, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Hermanus $1,118

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,727 in Hermanus, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Hermanus $1,727

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,336 in Hermanus, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Hermanus $2,336

Cape Town costs about 42% more than Hermanus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$13.13 R 216

-7.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$34.89 R 575

29.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.59 R 92.1

5.19%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.30 R 37.84

8.70%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.08 R 17.76

17.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.87 R 14.27

12.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.23 R 36.66

34.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.77 R 45.61

34.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.19 R 19.66

9.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.12 R 18.47

11.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.77 R 29.18

25.99%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.44 R 40.15

27.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.34 R 137

8.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.98 R 82.0

38.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$7.04 R 116

32.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.76 R 29.07

4.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.68 R 27.62

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.79 R 29.42

-6.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.71 R 28.10

26.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.47 R 24.14

6.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.43 R 23.63

3.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.20 R 19.78

8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.17 R 19.28

-3.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.34 R 55.1

7.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.06 R 116

-12.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.45 R 23.81

-4.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.95 R 32.12

9.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.48 R 24.34

1.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.62 R 10.25

-4.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.88 R 14.46

70.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$11.54 R 190

-55.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.46 R 24.02

6.16%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$36.0K R 593.0K

0.59%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$31.8K R 524.6K

-1.87%

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

$114 R 1,883

$145 R 2,395

-21.37%

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

$28.91 R 476

$35.60 R 587

-18.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$39.60 R 652

0.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$21.12 R 348

132.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$13.86 R 228

-20.71%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.19 R 102

47.82%

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

$259 R 4,264

$245 R 4,032

5.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$5,463 R 90.0K

24.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$52.2 R 860

7.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$32.45 R 535

-0.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$101 R 1,658

19.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$86.9 R 1,431

24.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$396 R 6,524

157.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$359 R 5,923

99.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$716 R 11.8K

154.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$717 R 11.8K

84.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$888 R 14.6K

169.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$659 R 10.9K

133.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.94

0.27%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hermanus: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Hermanus

$359 32.2% 49.9% $357

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Hermanus

$197 17.6% 12.4% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Hermanus

$221 19.7% 20.6% $38

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Hermanus

$174 15.6% 1.3% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Hermanus

$122 11% 14.2% $20

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Hermanus

$11 * 1% 85.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Hermanus

$34 3% 50.2% $34

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 $396 in Hermanus. 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $35.00 in Hermanus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $197 – making Hermanus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Hermanus

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

56,139

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Hermanus 93 km

From you

Cape Town
Hermanus

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 Hermanus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 42% more than Hermanus, 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 $1,677 in Hermanus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hermanus, 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 $1,118 in Hermanus. That's a gap of about 42%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $245 in Hermanus. 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 Hermanus, where all-in costs run around $1,118, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Hermanus 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. Hermanus costs $1,118 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 Hermanus. 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.