Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Jamestown

For one person, living is cheaper in Jamestown: $89.5 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Jamestown

🇸🇭 Saint Helena

$89.5

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $89.5 in Jamestown, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Jamestown $89.5

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $154 in Jamestown, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Jamestown $154

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $219 in Jamestown, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Jamestown $219

Cape Town costs about 1651% more than Jamestown, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Jamestown is 93% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

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

$1.33 R 21.91

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.81 SHP 1.37

-34.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$5.27 SHP 3.98

-42.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$10.79 SHP 8.15

-13.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$1.30 SHP 0.98

-10.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$12.06 SHP 9.11

-69.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

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

$28.37 R 468

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Jamestown: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Jamestown

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Jamestown

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Jamestown

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Jamestown

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Jamestown

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Jamestown

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Jamestown

–

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇭 Jamestown

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

06:27 6:27 AM

2 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

600 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Saint Helena Pound SHP £

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 SHP = 1.32 USD

1 SHP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SHP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Saint Helena Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.755 SHP (1 SHP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.847 SHP (1 SHP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Jamestown 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Jamestown

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 Jamestown: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 1651% more than Jamestown, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $134 in Jamestown. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $89.5 in Jamestown. That's a gap of about 1651%.

Groceries cost about 155% more in Cape Town, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jamestown, where all-in costs run around $89.5, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Jamestown 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. Jamestown costs $89.5 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Jamestown. 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.