Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ilheus

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilheus: $782 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Ilheus
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Ilheus Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Ilheus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$782

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $782 in Ilheus, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Ilheus $782

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,268 in Ilheus, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Ilheus $1,268

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,754 in Ilheus, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Ilheus $1,754

Cape Town costs about 95% more than Ilheus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Ilheus is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$3.91 R$21.54

207.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$29.38 R$162

46.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$7.24 R$39.86

-15.06%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$1.82 R$10.03

30.22%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$1.23 R$6.77

3.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$0.81 R$4.46

16.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$2.26 R$12.44

30.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$3.16 R$17.38

16.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$0.99 R$5.47

33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.51 R$8.32

-19.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$1.15 R$6.35

91.30%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$2.16 R$11.89

43.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$17.30 R$95.2

-49.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$3.81 R$20.96

80.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$7.37 R$40.57

25.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.12 R$11.67

-13.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.26 R$6.92

54.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.08 R$5.92

53.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$1.41 R$7.74

51.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$1.11 R$6.13

42.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.04 R$5.72

41.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$0.77 R$4.24

75.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.74 R$4.08

54.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$2.36 R$12.97

51.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$7.04 R$38.74

-14.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.16 R$6.36

19.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$1.84 R$10.15

18.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$0.97 R$5.37

44.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$45.03 R$248

34.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$1.22 R$6.72

-23.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$0.81 R$4.43

11.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$7.01 R$38.56

-29.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.07 R$5.88

43.93%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$18.9K R$104.1K

87.05%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$34.9K R$192.2K

-4.45%

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

$117 R 1,935

$72.3 R$398

61.99%

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

$25.71 R 425

$11.46 R$63.1

124.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$19.12 R$105

106.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$20.38 R$112

153.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$22.39 R$123

-49.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$7.37 R$40.54

20.62%

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

$308 R 5,085

$275 R$1,516

11.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$6,712 R$36.9K

21.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$49.75 R$274

15.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$39.59 R$218

-19.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$83.0 R$457

39.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$65.7 R$362

53.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$204 R$1,121

413.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$180 R$993

270.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$522 R$2,872

256.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$394 R$2,166

257.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$1,502 R$8,265

60.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,297 R$7,138

21.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$560 R$3,080

191.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

-1.00%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ilheus: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Ilheus

$180 23.1% 73% $489

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Ilheus

$202 25.8% 9.6% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Ilheus

$103 13.2% 43.5% $79

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Ilheus

$101 12.9% 42.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Ilheus

$107 13.7% 22.2% $31

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Ilheus

$54 6.9% 24.5% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Ilheus

$35 4.5% 49.4% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $204 in Ilheus. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $29 in Ilheus. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $202 – making Ilheus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Ilheus

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

178,649

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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 = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ilheus 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ilheus

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 Ilheus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 95% more than Ilheus, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,173 in Ilheus. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ilheus, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $204 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $782 in Ilheus. That makes Ilheus about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Ilheus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ilheus, where all-in costs run around $782, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Ilheus it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ilheus – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Ilheus. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.