Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Isiolo

For one person, living is cheaper in Isiolo: $544 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Isiolo
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Isiolo Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Isiolo

🇰🇪 Kenya

$544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $544 in Isiolo, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Isiolo $544

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $891 in Isiolo, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Isiolo $891

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $1,239 in Isiolo, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Isiolo $1,239

Cape Town costs about 194% more than Isiolo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Isiolo is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$6.25 KES 811

93.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$35.04 KES 4,543

33.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$6.40 KES 829

-3.13%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.69 KES 349

-7.06%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$0.66 KES 84.9

104.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.56 KES 73.0

78.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$2.29 KES 297

33.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$2.64 KES 342

39.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$0.89 KES 116

46.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.57 KES 73.4

122.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.91 KES 248

13.61%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$1.68 KES 218

83.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$10.78 KES 1,398

-16.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$6.48 KES 840

7.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$6.22 KES 807

55.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$3.30 KES 427

-43.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.05 KES 136

83.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$2.03 KES 263

-12.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$1.15 KES 149

89.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$1.12 KES 145

35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$1.08 KES 140

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.73 KES 94.9

80.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.75 KES 96.7

53.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.52 KES 457

5.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$11.43 KES 1,482

-47.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$2.32 KES 300

-42.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.69 KES 349

-20.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$1.52 KES 197

-60.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$1.52 KES 197

1.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$2.86 KES 371

75.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.61 KES 209

-0.62%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$21.8K KES 2.8M

62.26%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$20.2K KES 2.6M

71.57%

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

$119 R 1,955

$56.5 KES 7,319

110.15%

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

$29.42 R 485

$14.95 KES 1,939

96.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$34.44 KES 4,465

15.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$7.75 KES 1,004

16.00%

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

$261 R 4,303

$249 KES 32.3K

4.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$12.4K KES 1.6M

-43.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$27.88 KES 3,615

101.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$29.53 KES 3,829

12.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$71.4 KES 9,256

69.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$58.6 KES 7,592

84.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$777 KES 100.7K

112.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

14.71

-25.42%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Isiolo: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Isiolo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Isiolo

$206 37.9% 8.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Isiolo

$106 19.5% 43.7% $82

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Isiolo

$123 22.6% 30.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Isiolo

$84 15.5% 41.2% $59

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Isiolo

$9.1 * 1.7% 88% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Isiolo

$15 * 2.9% 77.5% $53

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 112% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $35.00 in Isiolo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $206 – making Isiolo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇪 Isiolo

🕒 Local time

12:54 12:54 PM

13:54 1:54 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

45,989

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Isiolo 4,300 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Isiolo

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 Isiolo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 194% more than Isiolo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $816 in Isiolo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $544 in Isiolo. That's a gap of about 194%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $249 in Isiolo. 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 Isiolo, where all-in costs run around $544, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Isiolo 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. Isiolo costs $544 versus $1,599 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 Isiolo. 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.