Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ho

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho: $670 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Ho
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Ho Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

🇬🇭 Ghana

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $670 in Ho, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Ho $670

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,129 in Ho, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Ho $1,129

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,587 in Ho, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Ho $1,587

Cape Town costs about 137% more than Ho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ho is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 201

$8.24 GHS 95.6

47.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 749

$50.8 GHS 589

-10.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 97.2

$10.32 GHS 120

-43.02%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.29

$4.31 GHS 50.0

-42.00%

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

$1.27 R 21.00

$1.59 GHS 18.47

-20.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.19

$0.48 GHS 5.59

104.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.47

$1.84 GHS 21.32

62.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.5

$2.19 GHS 25.45

69.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.46

$3.66 GHS 42.45

-64.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.73

$1.67 GHS 19.42

-25.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.87

$3.06 GHS 35.53

-27.12%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.4

$2.61 GHS 30.24

19.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 150

$11.79 GHS 137

-23.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$7.18 GHS 83.3

-3.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 154

$9.75 GHS 113

-4.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.34

$3.59 GHS 41.59

-48.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.38

$1.45 GHS 16.81

35.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.52

$1.75 GHS 20.34

-4.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.80

$3.54 GHS 41.07

-38.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.89

$2.76 GHS 31.97

-43.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.52

$2.65 GHS 30.69

-44.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.47

$0.70 GHS 8.06

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.66

$0.61 GHS 7.03

85.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.5

$2.61 GHS 30.22

37.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 102

$7.19 GHS 83.4

-14.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.72

$1.28 GHS 14.88

7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.30

$2.40 GHS 27.84

-10.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.72

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.74

$1.68 GHS 19.46

-64.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.72

$1.24 GHS 14.34

20.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.4

$4.13 GHS 47.85

23.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.57

$1.33 GHS 15.47

16.54%

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

$36.2K R 598.2K

$8,092 GHS 93.9K

347.47%

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

$31.2K R 516.2K

$9,939 GHS 115.3K

214.38%

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

$114 R 1,889

$73.8 GHS 856

54.97%

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

$28.91 R 478

$19.36 GHS 225

49.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 656

$41.97 GHS 487

-5.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 810

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 182

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$12.68 GHS 147

-27.84%

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

$259 R 4,276

$454 GHS 5,265

-42.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 112.2K

$18.6K GHS 215.9K

-63.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 928

$14.36 GHS 167

291.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 535

$18.72 GHS 217

73.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,993

$35.80 GHS 415

236.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,786

$52.0 GHS 604

107.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.9K

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 39.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

26.75

-58.99%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ho: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

$277 41.3% 23.2% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

$135 20.2% 26.2% $48

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

$171 25.4% 3.2% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

$54 8.1% 61.9% $88

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

$7.9 * 1.2% 89.5% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

$25 * 3.8% 62.3% $42

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 $51.0 in Ho. 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

🇬🇭 Ho

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

12:17 12:17 PM

2 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

83,715

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 GHS = 8.62 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 16.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 11.6 GHS (100 GHS = 8.62 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ho 4,890 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ho

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 Ho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 137% more than Ho, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,005 in Ho. 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 $670 in Ho. That's a gap of about 137%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $454 in Ho. 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 Ho, where all-in costs run around $670, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ho 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. Ho costs $670 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 Ho. 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.