Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Hiroshima

For one person, living is cheaper in Hiroshima: $961 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Hiroshima
Learn more

Hiroshima Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Hiroshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $961 in Hiroshima, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Hiroshima $961

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,557 in Hiroshima, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Hiroshima $1,557

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $2,152 in Hiroshima, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Hiroshima $2,152

Cape Town costs about 66% more than Hiroshima, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Hiroshima is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$6.13 ¥969

96.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$31.92 ¥5,043

46.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$5.07 ¥801

22.29%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.72 ¥429

-8.09%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$0.96 ¥152

40.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.69 ¥109

44.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$2.74 ¥433

11.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$3.68 ¥582

-0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.49 ¥236

-12.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$1.52 ¥240

-16.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$4.74 ¥748

-54.22%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.07 ¥327

49.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$5.11 ¥808

75.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$6.18 ¥976

13.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$10.90 ¥1,722

-11.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$3.31 ¥522

-43.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.98 ¥313

-2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$3.77 ¥595

-53.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$3.72 ¥588

-41.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$1.51 ¥238

0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$3.45 ¥545

-54.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$1.35 ¥214

-2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.83 ¥130

38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.00 ¥631

-7.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$7.70 ¥1,217

-21.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.92 ¥303

-30.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.48 ¥392

-14.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.84 ¥290

-15.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$32.79 ¥5,181

86.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$3.68 ¥581

-83.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$1.22 ¥192

26.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$21.43 ¥3,386

-76.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.10 ¥174

45.45%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$21.8K ¥3.4M

62.34%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

134.89%

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

$119 R 1,955

$139 ¥21.9K

-14.61%

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

$29.42 R 485

$24.17 ¥3,818

21.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$30.93 ¥4,887

28.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$52.6 ¥8,315

-3.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$4.65 ¥734

135.05%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$12.72 ¥2,009

-29.32%

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

$261 R 4,303

$155 ¥24.5K

68.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$3,400 ¥537.2K

104.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$28.67 ¥4,529

95.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$24.54 ¥3,877

35.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$47.85 ¥7,560

153.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$64.0 ¥10.1K

68.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$241 ¥38.1K

326.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$186 ¥29.3K

287.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$618 ¥97.7K

196.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$508 ¥80.2K

167.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$3,058 ¥483.1K

-21.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$1,406 ¥222.2K

6.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$1,973 ¥311.8K

-16.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

2.21

396.38%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Hiroshima: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Hiroshima

$186 19.3% 74.2% $534

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Hiroshima

$255 26.5% 12.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Hiroshima

$194 20.2% 3.3% $6.2

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Hiroshima

$125 13% 29.7% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Hiroshima

$74 7.7% 48.2% $69

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Hiroshima

$50 5.2% 34.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Hiroshima

$78 8.1% 13.6% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $241 in Hiroshima. 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 20% higher in Hiroshima, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $32.00 in Hiroshima. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Cape Town vs $255 in Hiroshima – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇯🇵 Hiroshima

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

11:59 11:59 AM

7 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,200,754

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Hiroshima 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Hiroshima

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 Hiroshima: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 66% more than Hiroshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $1,442 in Hiroshima. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hiroshima, 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $961 in Hiroshima. That's a gap of about 66%.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Hiroshima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hiroshima, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Hiroshima 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. Hiroshima costs $961 versus $1,599 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 Hiroshima. 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.