Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Los Ángeles

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $913 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Los Ángeles

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $913 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Los Ángeles $913

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,367 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Los Ángeles $1,367

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,822 in Los Ángeles, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Los Ángeles $1,822

Cape Town costs about 67% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Los Ángeles is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$12.20 CLP 11.9K

-1.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$25.60 CLP 25.1K

67.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$10.23 CLP 10.0K

-39.88%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$2.04 CLP 1,997

16.18%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$1.55 CLP 1,516

-18.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.54 CLP 1,509

-38.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$2.51 CLP 2,454

17.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$3.00 CLP 2,941

23.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.23 CLP 1,205

7.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$2.79 CLP 2,734

-56.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$2.98 CLP 2,919

-26.17%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$4.26 CLP 4,171

-27.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$8.29 CLP 8,113

5.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$10.62 CLP 10.4K

-35.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$14.27 CLP 14.0K

-35.11%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.56 CLP 2,507

-28.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.65 CLP 1,611

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$2.66 CLP 2,604

-37.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$2.20 CLP 2,152

-2.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$1.47 CLP 1,443

7.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.65 CLP 1,619

-10.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.38 CLP 1,350

-2.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.09 CLP 1,063

4.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$5.60 CLP 5,484

-36.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$4.16 CLP 4,077

45.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$0.95 CLP 928

46.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$0.53 CLP 524

164.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$2.06 CLP 2,019

-54.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.25 CLP 1,221

23.20%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

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

$117 R 1,935

$123 CLP 119.9K

-4.43%

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

$25.71 R 425

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$20.00 CLP 19.6K

97.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$78.4 CLP 76.8K

-34.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$9.94 CLP 9,734

14.19%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$4.26 CLP 4,171

108.69%

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

$308 R 5,085

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$274 CLP 268.1K

282.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$222 CLP 217.4K

201.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$448 CLP 438.6K

315.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$338 CLP 330.7K

316.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

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

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Los Ángeles

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Los Ángeles

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Los Ángeles

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Los Ángeles

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Los Ángeles

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Los Ángeles

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Los Ángeles

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $274 in Los Ángeles. 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 $26 in Los Ángeles. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Cape Town vs $274 in Los Ángeles – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

18:16 6:16 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

143,023

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.21 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, 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 = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 979 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,094 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.14 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Los Ángeles 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Los Ángeles

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 Los Ángeles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 67% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $1,369 in Los Ángeles. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Los Ángeles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $913 in Los Ángeles. That makes Los Ángeles about 40% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $913 in Los Ángeles. 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 $913 in Los Ángeles to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.