Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Itajubá, MG

For one person, living is cheaper in Itajubá, MG: $820 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Itajubá, MG
Learn more

Itajubá, MG Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Itajubá, MG

🇧🇷 Brazil

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Itajubá, MG

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $820 in Itajubá, MG, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Itajubá, MG $820

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,193 in Itajubá, MG, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Itajubá, MG $1,193

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,566 in Itajubá, MG, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Itajubá, MG $1,566

Cape Town costs about 86% more than Itajubá, MG, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Itajubá, MG is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$4.10 R$22.49

192.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$22.12 R$121

94.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$4.15 R$22.77

48.19%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.18 R$6.45

100.85%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.02 R$5.59

24.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.60 R$3.31

56.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$1.68 R$9.20

76.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.74 R$15.01

34.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.87 R$4.78

51.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.52 R$8.34

-20.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$0.94 R$5.16

134.04%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.11 R$11.56

46.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.83 R$53.9

-11.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$3.27 R$17.95

110.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$7.14 R$39.17

29.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.60 R$14.24

-29.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.45 R$7.96

34.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$0.90 R$4.92

84.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.66 R$9.11

28.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.00 R$5.47

58.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.94 R$5.17

56.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.57 R$3.14

136.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.63 R$3.46

80.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$2.71 R$14.87

32.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.47 R$41.01

-19.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.12 R$6.14

24.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.49 R$8.20

46.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.96 R$5.29

45.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$43.50 R$239

39.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.19 R$6.52

-21.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.70 R$3.82

28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$8.26 R$45.33

-39.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.04 R$5.73

48.08%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$21.5K R$118.0K

64.43%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$31.3K R$171.8K

6.58%

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

$117 R 1,929

$125 R$686

-6.30%

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

$25.71 R 424

$9.83 R$54.0

161.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$16.87 R$92.6

133.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$14.23 R$78.1

262.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$26.85 R$147

-57.73%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.32 R$40.15

21.45%

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

$308 R 5,069

$261 R$1,434

17.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$16.4K R$90.2K

-50.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$38.08 R$209

50.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$44.04 R$242

-27.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$67.6 R$371

71.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$62.2 R$341

61.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$321 R$1,759

226.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$237 R$1,302

182.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$486 R$2,665

283.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$330 R$1,808

327.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,583 R$8,686

52.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,136 R$6,233

38.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$271 R$1,485

502.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

11.93

-8.72%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Itajubá, MG: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Itajubá, MG

$237 28.9% 64.5% $432

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Itajubá, MG

$175 21.4% 21.5% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Itajubá, MG

$152 18.5% 16.8% $31

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Itajubá, MG

$80 9.7% 54.2% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Itajubá, MG

$95 11.6% 30.7% $42

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Itajubá, MG

$52 6.3% 27.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Itajubá, MG

$29 3.5% 58.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $321 in Itajubá, MG. 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 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $22 in Itajubá, MG. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $175 – making Itajubá, MG the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Itajubá, MG

🕒 Local time

04:53 4:53 AM

23:53 11:53 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

93,073

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Itajubá, MG 6,290 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Itajubá, MG

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 Itajubá, MG: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 86% more than Itajubá, MG, 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 $1,230 in Itajubá, MG. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Itajubá, MG, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $321 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $820 in Itajubá, MG. That makes Itajubá, MG about 46% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Itajubá, MG. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Itajubá, MG, where all-in costs run around $820, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Itajubá, MG it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Itajubá, MG – 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 Itajubá, MG. 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.