Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Jimma

For one person, living is cheaper in Jimma: $1,057 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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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

Jimma

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,057 in Jimma, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Jimma $1,057

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,424 in Jimma, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Jimma $1,424

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,792 in Jimma, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Jimma $1,792

Cape Town costs about 48% more than Jimma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Jimma is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$4.65 ETB 747

153.33%

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

$1.17 ETB 188

111.11%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.59 ETB 95.2

125.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.44 ETB 70.0

134.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$2.81 ETB 452

7.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$1.43 ETB 230

155.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.15 ETB 185

20.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.36 ETB 58.1

230.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.12 ETB 180

88.39%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$4.02 ETB 646

-25.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$11.49 ETB 1,847

-42.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$11.42 ETB 1,835

-18.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.30 ETB 370

-20.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.12 ETB 180

69.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$3.45 ETB 555

-49.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$0.58 ETB 93.8

260.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.55 ETB 87.7

181.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$3.35 ETB 538

-55.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.58 ETB 93.7

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$6.63 ETB 1,065

-8.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.16 ETB 187

19.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.45 ETB 234

51.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.22 ETB 35.27

586.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$13.38 ETB 2,150

355.61%

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

$1.72 ETB 276

179.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.74 ETB 279

-9.20%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$51.2K ETB 8.2M

-30.72%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$58.0K ETB 9.3M

-45.22%

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

$116 R 1,920

$63.4 ETB 10.2K

83.45%

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

$28.37 R 468

$36.28 ETB 5,829

-21.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$313 ETB 50.3K

-87.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$34.06 ETB 5,474

43.42%

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

$92.7 ETB 14.9K

-65.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$139 ETB 22.3K

-15.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$115 ETB 18.5K

-6.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$208 ETB 33.4K

388.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$160 ETB 25.7K

347.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$415 ETB 66.7K

333.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$310 ETB 49.9K

328.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$2,229 ETB 358.2K

4.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,117 ETB 179.4K

35.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$227 ETB 36.5K

620.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

21.89%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Jimma: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Jimma

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Jimma

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Jimma

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Jimma

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Jimma

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Jimma

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Jimma

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $208 in Jimma. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 621% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇪🇹 Jimma

🕒 Local time

10:51 10:51 AM

11:51 11:51 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

207,573

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, 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).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Jimma 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Jimma

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 Jimma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 48% more than Jimma, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,585 in Jimma. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jimma, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $1,057 in Jimma. That's a gap of about 48%.

Groceries cost about 11% 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 Jimma, where all-in costs run around $1,057, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Jimma 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. Jimma costs $1,057 versus $1,568 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 Jimma. 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.