Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Libreville

For one person, living is cheaper in Libreville: $1,486 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Libreville
Learn more

Libreville Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Libreville

🇬🇦 Gabon

$1,486

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,486 in Libreville, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Libreville $1,486

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $2,489 in Libreville, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Libreville $2,489

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,493 in Libreville, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Libreville $3,493

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Libreville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Libreville sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Libreville by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$17.40 FCFA 10.2K

-32.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$68.3 FCFA 39.9K

-31.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$15.29 FCFA 8,945

-61.02%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$5.94 FCFA 3,475

-58.42%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.67 FCFA 978

-20.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$1.41 FCFA 825

-26.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.00 FCFA 588

201.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$1.93 FCFA 1,127

89.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$3.44 FCFA 2,010

-59.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.20 FCFA 703

-0.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.87 FCFA 1,681

-26.48%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$4.45 FCFA 2,604

-32.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$10.40 FCFA 6,086

-13.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$8.66 FCFA 5,065

-23.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$25.83 FCFA 15.1K

-64.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.91 FCFA 1,703

-37.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$3.78 FCFA 2,214

-49.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$3.95 FCFA 2,310

-55.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$3.44 FCFA 2,011

-39.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$2.95 FCFA 1,724

-47.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$4.19 FCFA 2,449

-64.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$2.15 FCFA 1,258

-39.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$1.65 FCFA 966

-29.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$2.56 FCFA 1,495

44.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$11.30 FCFA 6,611

-46.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$0.97 FCFA 570

43.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.32 FCFA 771

66.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.90 FCFA 526

67.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$47.94 FCFA 28.0K

27.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$1.27 FCFA 742

-50.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.73 FCFA 428

109.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

-72.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.04 FCFA 608

51.92%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

20.81%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$22.6K FCFA 13.2M

40.51%

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

$116 R 1,920

$84.8 FCFA 49.6K

37.21%

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

$28.37 R 468

$34.33 FCFA 20.1K

-17.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$64.8 FCFA 37.9K

-37.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$65.0 FCFA 38.0K

-24.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$26.05 FCFA 15.2K

-57.27%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$4.57 FCFA 2,676

93.22%

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

$261 R 4,314

$170 FCFA 99.6K

53.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$5,520 FCFA 3.2M

21.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$85.2 FCFA 49.8K

-34.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$42.56 FCFA 24.9K

-24.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$51.9 FCFA 30.3K

126.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$103 FCFA 60.0K

4.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$1,020 FCFA 596.5K

-0.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$421 FCFA 246.2K

70.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$2,114 FCFA 1.2M

-14.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$843 FCFA 493.0K

57.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$3,588 FCFA 2.1M

-35.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$2,721 FCFA 1.6M

-44.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$429 FCFA 250.9K

281.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.5

-4.61%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Libreville: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Libreville

$421 27.8% 41.2% $295

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Libreville

$374 24.7% 68% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Libreville

$184 12.2% 0.8% $1.5

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Libreville

$278 18.3% 59.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Libreville

$127 8.4% 9.6% $14

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Libreville

$56 3.7% 25% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Libreville

$74 4.9% 11.5% $7.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $1,020 in Libreville. 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 281% 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 $68.0 in Libreville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $374 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇦 Libreville

🕒 Local time

11:38 11:38 AM

10:38 10:38 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

850,000 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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 = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Libreville 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Libreville

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 Libreville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Libreville, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $2,228 in Libreville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Libreville, 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 $1,486 in Libreville. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Libreville. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Libreville, where all-in costs run around $1,486, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Libreville 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. Libreville costs $1,486 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 Libreville. 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.