Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and La Chaux-de-Fonds

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,979 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent and utilities included – about $17,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
143

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $2,979 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,979

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $4,813 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,813

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $6,648 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,648

Cape Town is about 49% cheaper than La Chaux-de-Fonds, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and La Chaux-de-Fonds sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, La Chaux-de-Fonds by 120%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$24.56 CHF 20.08

-51.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$83.8 CHF 68.5

-48.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$18.65 CHF 15.25

-67.02%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$4.73 CHF 3.87

-49.89%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$3.73 CHF 3.05

-65.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$4.66 CHF 3.81

-79.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$7.48 CHF 6.12

-60.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$6.05 CHF 4.95

-39.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$2.30 CHF 1.88

-42.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$3.01 CHF 2.47

-59.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$3.24 CHF 2.65

-32.10%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$8.13 CHF 6.65

-61.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$25.86 CHF 21.15

-66.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$27.16 CHF 22.22

-74.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$42.31 CHF 34.60

-78.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$3.61 CHF 2.96

-49.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.27 CHF 1.86

-14.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$3.05 CHF 2.50

-45.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$4.84 CHF 3.96

-55.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.44 CHF 1.18

9.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.94 CHF 1.59

-24.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$2.23 CHF 1.82

-39.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.65 CHF 1.35

-30.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$10.93 CHF 8.94

-67.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$12.09 CHF 9.89

-49.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$2.38 CHF 1.95

-41.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$3.02 CHF 2.47

-27.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$4.41 CHF 3.61

-68.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$99.7 CHF 81.6

-39.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$8.17 CHF 6.68

-88.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$4.78 CHF 3.91

-81.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$87.4 CHF 71.4

-94.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$2.36 CHF 1.93

-34.75%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$39.3K CHF 32.1K

-10.01%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$40.4K CHF 33.0K

-17.41%

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

$117 R 1,918

$293 CHF 239

-60.00%

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

$25.71 R 421

$46.49 CHF 38.03

-44.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$65.2 CHF 53.3

-39.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$75.5 CHF 61.8

-31.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$40.79 CHF 33.36

-72.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$23.57 CHF 19.28

-62.28%

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

$308 R 5,040

$3,064 CHF 2,506

-89.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$20.9K CHF 17.1K

-61.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$145 CHF 118

-60.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$79.6 CHF 65.1

-60.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$164 CHF 134

-29.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$201 CHF 165

-49.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$1,450 CHF 1,186

-27.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,059 CHF 866

-36.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$3,979 CHF 3,254

-53.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$2,413 CHF 1,973

-41.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$17.0K CHF 13.9K

-85.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$11.0K CHF 8,986

-85.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$5,216 CHF 4,266

-68.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

2.42

350.00%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 35.5% 58.2% $390

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$586 19.7% 163% $363

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$404 13.6% 122% $222

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$392 13.2% 125% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$265 8.9% 92.6% $127

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$149 5% 108% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$123 4.1% 76.8% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,450 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in La Chaux-de-Fonds are about 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $84 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $586 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🕒 Local time

23:54 11:54 PM

22:54 10:54 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

39,027

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.918 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town La Chaux-de-Fonds 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Chaux-de-Fonds costs about 95% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $4,468 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,450 in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,979 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. That makes Cape Town about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $2,979 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, La Chaux-de-Fonds makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.