Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Kilifi

For one person, living is cheaper in Kilifi: $647 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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

Kilifi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $647 in Kilifi, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Kilifi $647

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,054 in Kilifi, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Kilifi $1,054

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,461 in Kilifi, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Kilifi $1,461

Cape Town costs about 142% more than Kilifi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Kilifi is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$1.91 KES 247

516.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$50.5 KES 6,543

-7.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$2.24 KES 291

166.07%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$1.89 KES 246

30.69%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.80 KES 104

66.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.74 KES 96.4

39.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.58 KES 205

90.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.04 KES 135

33.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.88 KES 115

35.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.99 KES 258

6.03%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$1.98 KES 257

52.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$7.64 KES 991

21.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.35 KES 304

-22.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$0.68 KES 87.6

179.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.73 KES 225

1.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$0.45 KES 58.1

364.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.76 KES 98.3

103.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.73 KES 95.3

104.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.24 KES 31.22

383.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$12.47 KES 1,618

-51.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.71 KES 222

-18.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.80 KES 104

88.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$27.29 KES 3,540

123.38%

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

$1.32 KES 171

19.70%

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

$15.59 KES 2,022

646.50%

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

$28.37 R 468

$10.34 KES 1,341

174.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$25.07 KES 3,251

62.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$27.64 KES 3,584

76.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$7.63 KES 989

15.73%

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

$261 R 4,314

$164 KES 21.3K

58.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$4,927 KES 639.0K

36.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$9.82 KES 1,273

464.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$8.62 KES 1,118

274.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$15.27 KES 1,981

669.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$17.15 KES 2,225

524.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$322 KES 41.7K

215.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$304 KES 39.4K

135.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$271 KES 35.2K

563.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$553 KES 71.7K

140.59%

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

$228 KES 29.6K

617.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

37.13%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kilifi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Kilifi

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Kilifi

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Kilifi

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Kilifi

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Kilifi

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Kilifi

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Kilifi

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $322 in Kilifi. 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 617% 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 $50.0 in Kilifi. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $123 in Kilifi – so Kilifi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇪 Kilifi

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

09:37 9:37 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

122,899

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Kilifi 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Kilifi

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 Kilifi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 142% more than Kilifi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $971 in Kilifi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kilifi, 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 $647 in Kilifi. That's a gap of about 142%.

Public transport costs about 123% less in Kilifi. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kilifi, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Kilifi 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. Kilifi costs $647 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 Kilifi. 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.