Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Kempton Park

For one person, living is cheaper in Kempton Park: $1,229 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Kempton Park
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Kempton Park Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Kempton Park

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,229

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Kempton Park

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $1,229 in Kempton Park, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Kempton Park $1,229

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,885 in Kempton Park, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Kempton Park $1,885

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $2,542 in Kempton Park, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Kempton Park $2,542

Cape Town costs about 30% more than Kempton Park, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Kempton Park is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$9.40 R 155

28.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$36.91 R 608

26.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$5.95 R 98.1

4.20%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.56 R 42.13

-2.34%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$1.07 R 17.70

26.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.87 R 14.32

14.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$2.39 R 39.32

28.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$2.69 R 44.26

36.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.39 R 22.91

-6.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$1.15 R 19.00

10.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.79 R 29.51

21.23%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.57 R 42.28

20.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$8.44 R 139

6.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$5.26 R 86.7

32.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$8.81 R 145

9.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.97 R 32.39

-5.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.65 R 27.18

16.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.75 R 28.77

1.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$2.05 R 33.70

6.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$1.66 R 27.28

-8.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$1.70 R 28.00

-8.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$1.18 R 19.41

11.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$1.35 R 22.16

-14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.26 R 53.7

14.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$5.31 R 87.5

13.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.63 R 26.92

-17.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.32 R 38.24

-8.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.49 R 24.54

4.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

$59.8 R 985

2.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$0.31 R 5.13

93.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.77 R 12.63

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$14.69 R 242

-65.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.51 R 24.82

5.96%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$35.7K R 588.2K

-0.82%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$34.2K R 563.1K

1.39%

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

$119 R 1,955

$181 R 2,983

-34.49%

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

$29.42 R 485

$39.44 R 650

-25.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$37.58 R 619

5.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$38.54 R 635

31.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$10.85 R 179

0.74%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$8.66 R 143

3.81%

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

$261 R 4,303

$263 R 4,334

-0.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$5,487 R 90.4K

26.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$53.6 R 883

4.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$32.23 R 531

3.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$91.7 R 1,511

32.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$85.5 R 1,409

26.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$299 R 4,927

243.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$367 R 6,046

96.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$746 R 12.3K

146.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$743 R 12.2K

83.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$763 R 12.6K

215.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$640 R 10.5K

135.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$637 R 10.5K

158.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.25

-2.49%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Kempton Park: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Kempton Park

$367 29.9% 49% $353

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Kempton Park

$211 17.1% 6.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Kempton Park

$258 21% 37.4% $70

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Kempton Park

$149 12.1% 16% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Kempton Park

$118 9.6% 17.5% $25

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Kempton Park

$70 5.7% 7.8% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Kempton Park

$56 4.6% 18.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $299 in Kempton Park. 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 159% 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 $37.00 in Kempton Park. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $211 – making Kempton Park the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Kempton Park

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cape Town Kempton Park 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Kempton Park

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 Kempton Park: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 30% more than Kempton Park, 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 $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $1,843 in Kempton Park. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kempton Park, 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $1,229 in Kempton Park. That's a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Kempton Park. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kempton Park, where all-in costs run around $1,229, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Kempton Park 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. Kempton Park costs $1,229 versus $1,599 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 Kempton Park. 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.