Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Homa Bay

For one person, living is cheaper in Homa Bay: $58.0 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Homa Bay

🇰🇪 Kenya

$58.0

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Homa Bay

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $58 in Homa Bay, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Homa Bay $58

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $453 in Homa Bay, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Homa Bay $453

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $848 in Homa Bay, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Homa Bay $848

Cape Town costs about 2532% more than Homa Bay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Homa Bay is 96% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$150 KES 19.5K

-71.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$10.62 KES 1,379

-42.09%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

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

$1.27 R 21.03

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$0.99 KES 128

-5.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$2.45 KES 319

20.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$4.97 KES 646

-25.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

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

$117 R 1,935

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

$25.71 R 425

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

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

$308 R 5,085

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Homa Bay: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Homa Bay

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Homa Bay

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Homa Bay

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Homa Bay

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Homa Bay

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Homa Bay

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Homa Bay

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $150 in Homa Bay. Use this as a proxy for overall food spending across the two cities.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇪 Homa Bay

🕒 Local time

23:33 11:33 PM

00:33 12:33 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

44,949

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Homa Bay 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Homa Bay

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 Homa Bay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 2532% more than Homa Bay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $87 in Homa Bay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $58 in Homa Bay. That makes Homa Bay about 96% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $150 in Homa Bay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Homa Bay, where all-in costs run around $58, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Homa Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $58 in Homa Bay to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.