Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Lancy

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,599 a month against $3,280 in Lancy, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Lancy
Learn more

Lancy Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Lancy

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,280

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $3,280 in Lancy, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Lancy $3,280

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $5,151 in Lancy, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Lancy $5,151

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $7,023 in Lancy, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Lancy $7,023

Cape Town is about 51% cheaper than Lancy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Lancy sit above the global median – Cape Town by 18%, Lancy by 142%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 201

$28.74 CHF 23.68

-58.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 776

$124 CHF 102

-62.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 103

$15.64 CHF 12.89

-60.36%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.50

$6.32 CHF 5.20

-60.44%

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

$1.35 R 22.48

$4.56 CHF 3.76

-70.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.62

$4.01 CHF 3.30

-75.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.8

$9.28 CHF 7.64

-67.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 61.1

$7.72 CHF 6.36

-52.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.65

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-41.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 21.08

$2.90 CHF 2.39

-56.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 36.00

$3.13 CHF 2.57

-30.67%

Eggs

$3.09 R 51.4

$7.57 CHF 6.24

-59.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 149

$24.10 CHF 19.85

-62.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 116

$29.41 CHF 24.23

-76.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 161

$39.04 CHF 32.16

-75.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 31.06

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-47.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 32.00

$1.65 CHF 1.36

16.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.40

$2.74 CHF 2.25

-35.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 36.18

$4.76 CHF 3.92

-54.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.30

$1.58 CHF 1.30

-3.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.86

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-23.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.93

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-40.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.15

$1.35 CHF 1.12

-14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.9

$10.84 CHF 8.93

-65.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.9

$12.17 CHF 10.03

-50.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.33

$2.17 CHF 1.79

-38.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.43

$2.91 CHF 2.40

-26.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.76

$3.90 CHF 3.21

-60.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,019

$94.7 CHF 78.0

-35.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.94

$7.73 CHF 6.37

-92.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.59

$3.78 CHF 3.12

-59.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 83.3

$64.6 CHF 53.2

-92.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.57

$2.33 CHF 1.92

-31.33%

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

$35.4K R 588.7K

$38.8K CHF 31.9K

-8.66%

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

$34.7K R 576.1K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-12.37%

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

$119 R 1,972

$276 CHF 227

-57.01%

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

$29.42 R 489

$27.82 CHF 22.92

5.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 662

$55.1 CHF 45.42

-27.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 844

$90.5 CHF 74.5

-43.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 182

$46.39 CHF 38.22

-76.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 149

$24.28 CHF 20.00

-62.97%

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

$261 R 4,342

$2,430 CHF 2,002

-89.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 115.8K

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

-77.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 933

$135 CHF 111

-58.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 553

$61.0 CHF 50.2

-45.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 2,017

$158 CHF 130

-23.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,796

$188 CHF 154

-42.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 17.1K

$1,798 CHF 1,481

-42.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 12.0K

$1,384 CHF 1,140

-48.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.5K

$2,926 CHF 2,410

-37.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.6K

$2,610 CHF 2,150

-47.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 40.0K

$17.9K CHF 14.7K

-86.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 25.0K

$11.4K CHF 9,367

-86.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

1.98

454.04%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lancy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Lancy

$1.4K 42.2% 92.4% $665

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Lancy

$568 17.3% 151% $342

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Lancy

$359 10.9% 91% $171

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Lancy

$449 13.7% 153% $272

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Lancy

$244 7.4% 69.9% $100

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Lancy

$137 4.2% 80.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Lancy

$139 4.2% 102% $70

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $1,798 in Lancy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Cape Town versus $124 in Lancy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $568 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇭 Lancy

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

10:12 10:12 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

10,919

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 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 October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 16.62 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.65 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Lancy 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Lancy

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 Lancy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lancy costs about 105% 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 $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $4,919 in Lancy. 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 $1,028 there versus $1,798 in Lancy.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $3,280 in Lancy. That’s a gap of about 105%.

Public transport costs about 35% 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $3,280 in Lancy. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,599 versus $3,280 in Lancy. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Cape Town is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 105% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.