Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Les Ulis

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,980 in Les Ulis, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
95

Cost of Living Index in Les Ulis
Learn more

Les Ulis Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Les Ulis

🇫🇷 France

$1,980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Les Ulis

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,980 in Les Ulis, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Les Ulis $1,980

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $3,087 in Les Ulis, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Les Ulis $3,087

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $4,193 in Les Ulis, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Les Ulis $4,193

Cape Town is about 23% cheaper than Les Ulis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Les Ulis sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Les Ulis by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$19.25 €17.22

-37.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$77.7 €69.5

-44.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$13.65 €12.21

-54.95%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$5.01 €4.49

-52.69%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$4.66 €4.17

-72.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$2.65 €2.37

-64.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$7.61 €6.81

-61.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$6.86 €6.14

-46.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.57 €1.41

-15.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$2.51 €2.25

-51.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$2.67 €2.39

-17.60%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$4.34 €3.88

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$22.52 €20.15

-61.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$13.95 €12.48

-50.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$22.43 €20.07

-58.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$3.26 €2.92

-43.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$2.29 €2.05

-14.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$2.86 €2.56

-41.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$4.25 €3.81

-49.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$1.87 €1.67

-15.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$2.43 €2.18

-39.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.89 €1.69

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.87 €0.78

31.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$14.55 €13.02

-75.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$8.76 €7.84

-30.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$2.67 €2.39

-47.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$3.52 €3.15

-38.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.99 €1.78

-29.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$48.41 €43.32

25.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$3.48 €3.11

-73.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$1.43 €1.28

-37.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$46.24 €41.38

-89.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$2.19 €1.96

-29.68%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$34.1K €30.5K

3.82%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$37.4K €33.4K

-10.65%

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

$117 R 1,935

$243 €217

-51.77%

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

$25.71 R 425

$15.27 €13.66

68.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$29.19 €26.12

35.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$35.63 €31.88

44.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$15.83 €14.16

-43.84%

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

$308 R 5,085

$798 €714

-61.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$26.0K €23.2K

-68.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$112 €100

-48.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$53.2 €47.56

-40.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$117 €105

-0.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$162 €145

-37.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$775 €693

35.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$620 €555

7.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$1,463 €1,309

27.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$1,172 €1,048

20.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$4,143 €3,708

-41.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$3,111 €2,784

-49.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

3.45

215.65%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Les Ulis: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Les Ulis

$620 31.3% 7.4% $49

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Les Ulis

$403 20.3% 80.4% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Les Ulis

$287 14.5% 57.6% $105

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Les Ulis

$336 17% 93.2% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Les Ulis

$200 10.1% 45.1% $62

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Les Ulis

$67 3.4% 6.6% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Les Ulis

$67 3.4% 3% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $775 in Les Ulis. 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $78 in Les Ulis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $403 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇫🇷 Les Ulis

🕒 Local time

19:38 7:38 PM

18:38 6:38 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

25,253

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.895 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Les Ulis 9,330 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Les Ulis

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 Les Ulis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Les Ulis costs about 30% 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 $2,970 in Les Ulis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Les Ulis, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $775 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,980 in Les Ulis. That makes Cape Town about 23% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Les Ulis. 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 $1,980 in Les Ulis. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,980 in Les Ulis. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.