Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ibadan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibadan: $255 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
12

Cost of Living Index in Ibadan
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Ibadan Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ibadan

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$255

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $255 in Ibadan, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Ibadan $255

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $571 in Ibadan, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Ibadan $571

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $887 in Ibadan, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Ibadan $887

Cape Town costs about 522% more than Ibadan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ibadan is 81% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$1.11 ₦1,481

993.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$30.33 ₦40.3K

49.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.22 ₦8,276

-5.47%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$0.80 ₦1,058

212.50%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.22 ₦293

477.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.14 ₦180

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$0.59 ₦786

406.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.15 ₦1,534

223.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.58 ₦776

124.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.60 ₦803

108.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.15 ₦1,524

93.91%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.55 ₦2,055

100.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$3.59 ₦4,774

152.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.02 ₦5,342

72.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$0.71 ₦951

1209.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.65 ₦2,198

11.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.29 ₦1,712

51.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.10 ₦1,457

51.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.29 ₦385

648.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.58 ₦773

170.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.24 ₦320

516.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.22 ₦291

490.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.12 ₦159

841.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$0.59 ₦781

510.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$1.15 ₦1,533

434.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.39 ₦523

253.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$0.47 ₦621

355.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.12 ₦164

1150.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.66 ₦872

-10.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.59 ₦781

154.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$1.10 ₦1,467

364.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.53 ₦703

192.45%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$4,189 ₦5.6M

764.30%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$13.7K ₦18.2M

128.52%

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

$114 R 1,883

$11.16 ₦14.8K

924.37%

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

$28.91 R 476

$3.87 ₦5,145

647.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$8.59 ₦11.4K

362.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$22.27 ₦29.6K

120.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$1.48 ₦1,972

518.24%

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

$259 R 4,264

$49.51 ₦65.8K

422.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$631 ₦839.5K

976.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$12.18 ₦16.2K

361.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$5.77 ₦7,674

461.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$15.36 ₦20.4K

685.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$21.34 ₦28.4K

406.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$125 ₦166.4K

716.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$46.64 ₦62.0K

1437.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$454 ₦603.2K

302.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$305 ₦406.0K

334.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$880 ₦1.2M

171.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$29.82 ₦39.7K

5070.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$56.6 ₦75.3K

2794.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

18.39

-40.35%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ibadan: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ibadan

$47 18.3% 93.5% $670

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ibadan

$87 34.2% 61.2% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ibadan

$24 9.3% 87.1% $159

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ibadan

$44 17.2% 75.1% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ibadan

$25 9.6% 82.8% $118

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ibadan

$4.1 * 1.6% 94.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ibadan

$25 9.9% 62.5% $42

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 $125 in Ibadan. 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 2794% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $30.00 in Ibadan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $87.0 – making Ibadan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇬 Ibadan

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

08:04 8:04 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

3,034,200

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, 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).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Ibadan 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ibadan

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 Ibadan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 522% more than Ibadan, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $383 in Ibadan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ibadan, 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 $255 in Ibadan. That's a gap of about 522%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $49.51 in Ibadan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ibadan, where all-in costs run around $255, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ibadan 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. Ibadan costs $255 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 Ibadan. 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.