Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Libertad

For one person, living is cheaper in Libertad: $1,070 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Libertad
Learn more

Libertad Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Libertad

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,070

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,070 in Libertad, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Libertad $1,070

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,732 in Libertad, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Libertad $1,732

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,394 in Libertad, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Libertad $2,394

Cape Town costs about 43% more than Libertad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Libertad is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$15.64 UYU 629

-23.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$68.0 UYU 2,733

-36.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$14.55 UYU 585

-57.73%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.53 UYU 182

-47.68%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.51 UYU 101

-49.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.88 UYU 75.5

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$4.79 UYU 192

-38.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.71 UYU 149

-0.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.25 UYU 50.4

5.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$2.87 UYU 115

-57.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.71 UYU 68.9

28.65%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.60 UYU 185

-32.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$14.15 UYU 569

-38.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$11.49 UYU 462

-40.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$12.12 UYU 487

-23.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.75 UYU 111

-33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.78 UYU 112

-29.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.69 UYU 68.1

-1.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$3.11 UYU 125

-31.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.91 UYU 76.9

-17.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.20 UYU 88.3

-33.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.41 UYU 56.7

-4.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$2.01 UYU 80.8

-43.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.54 UYU 223

-35.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$8.53 UYU 343

-29.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$2.34 UYU 94.2

-40.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.68 UYU 108

-18.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.91 UYU 77.0

-51.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.01 UYU 40.79

-10.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$12.69 UYU 510

-60.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.17 UYU 87.3

-29.03%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$26.6K UYU 1.1M

32.99%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$36.4K UYU 1.5M

-8.40%

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

$117 R 1,929

$187 UYU 7,531

-37.48%

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

$25.71 R 424

$21.15 UYU 851

21.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$42.99 UYU 1,729

-8.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$12.30 UYU 495

-27.72%

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

$308 R 5,069

$615 UYU 24.7K

-49.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$11.2K UYU 452.2K

-27.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$99.2 UYU 3,989

-42.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$57.1 UYU 2,296

-44.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$122 UYU 4,911

-5.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$134 UYU 5,396

-24.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

5.65

92.74%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Libertad: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Libertad

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Libertad

$329 30.8% 47.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Libertad

$251 23.5% 38% $69

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Libertad

$272 25.4% 56.3% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Libertad

$186 17.4% 34.9% $48

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Libertad

$7 * 0.7% 90.3% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Libertad

$25 * 2.3% 64.5% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $68 in Libertad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $330 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇺🇾 Libertad

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

07:30 7:30 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

10,166

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR 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 = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.17 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Libertad 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Libertad

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 Libertad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 43% more than Libertad, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,605 in Libertad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,070 in Libertad. That makes Libertad about 30% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $615 in Libertad. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,070 in Libertad, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,070 in Libertad to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.