Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ilesha

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilesha: $477 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Ilesha
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Ilesha Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Ilesha

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $477 in Ilesha, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Ilesha $477

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $804 in Ilesha, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Ilesha $804

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,131 in Ilesha, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Ilesha $1,131

Cape Town costs about 226% more than Ilesha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while Ilesha is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 201

$3.63 ₦4,859

233.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 738

$49.95 ₦66.9K

-11.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$7.33 ₦9,819

-16.10%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.24

$2.74 ₦3,679

-13.87%

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

$1.26 R 21.03

$0.41 ₦548

207.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.56

$0.22 ₦294

354.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.2

$1.02 ₦1,364

201.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.5

$2.05 ₦2,744

80.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.38

$3.09 ₦4,148

-56.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.86

$1.48 ₦1,990

-19.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.96

$1.27 ₦1,697

65.35%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.7

$2.23 ₦2,982

36.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 145

$3.55 ₦4,760

145.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$3.78 ₦5,071

84.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 156

$4.33 ₦5,807

116.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.39

$1.69 ₦2,261

11.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.27

$1.30 ₦1,746

44.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.04

$1.08 ₦1,447

56.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.02

$1.48 ₦1,988

37.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.08

$1.61 ₦2,154

-2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.61

$1.50 ₦2,016

-1.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.33

$0.89 ₦1,190

43.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.78

$0.36 ₦487

230.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.4

$0.59 ₦787

515.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$2.49 ₦3,331

147.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.10

$0.51 ₦679

172.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.27

$0.50 ₦674

336.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.79

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,020

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.56

$0.68 ₦912

-16.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.90 ₦1,200

64.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.5

$2.21 ₦2,958

121.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.25

$0.91 ₦1,217

73.63%

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

$34.7K R 577.5K

$11.1K ₦14.9M

211.39%

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

$34.1K R 567.4K

$29.3K ₦39.3M

16.31%

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

$117 R 1,945

$110 ₦147.1K

6.56%

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

$28.35 R 472

$14.50 ₦19.4K

95.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 675

$32.73 ₦43.9K

23.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$6.15 ₦8,241

48.13%

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

$302 R 5,024

$664 ₦889.8K

-54.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 111.8K

$20.0K ₦26.8M

-66.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 919

$14.39 ₦19.3K

283.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 544

$17.99 ₦24.1K

81.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,961

$35.77 ₦47.9K

229.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,728

$48.26 ₦64.7K

115.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.2K

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 24, 2026

Last update for Ilesha: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Ilesha

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Ilesha

$155 32.4% 30.9% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Ilesha

$157 32.9% 15.6% $29

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Ilesha

$96 20.1% 45.5% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Ilesha

$52 11% 62.4% $87

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Ilesha

$5.2 * 1.1% 93.1% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Ilesha

$12 * 2.6% 81.6% $54

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 $44 in Cape Town versus $50 in Ilesha. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Cape Town vs $155 in Ilesha – so Ilesha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇳🇬 Ilesha

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

15:43 3:43 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

277,904

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.7 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Cape Town
Ilesha

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 Ilesha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 226% more than Ilesha, 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 $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $715 in Ilesha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $477 in Ilesha. That’s a gap of about 226%.

Kindergarten costs $302 per month in Cape Town and $664 in Ilesha. 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 Ilesha, where all-in costs run around $477, than in Cape Town at $1,556. In Ilesha 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 $477 in Ilesha to $1,556 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.