Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $819 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
Learn more

Macaé Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$819

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $819 in Macaé, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Macaé $819

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,377 in Macaé, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Macaé $1,377

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,935 in Macaé, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Macaé $1,935

Cape Town costs about 86% more than Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Macaé is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$5.07 R$27.72

136.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$27.42 R$150

56.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$6.46 R$35.28

-4.80%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$1.59 R$8.70

49.06%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$1.23 R$6.72

3.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$0.53 R$2.92

77.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$1.08 R$5.88

174.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$2.52 R$13.79

46.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$0.94 R$5.12

40.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$1.39 R$7.61

-12.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$1.31 R$7.17

67.94%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$1.84 R$10.08

68.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$8.37 R$45.72

4.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$3.13 R$17.11

120.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$8.69 R$47.48

6.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$1.77 R$9.66

3.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$1.05 R$5.76

85.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$0.89 R$4.84

86.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$1.16 R$6.36

84.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$0.64 R$3.50

146.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$0.79 R$4.33

86.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$0.53 R$2.88

154.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$0.48 R$2.63

137.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$1.51 R$8.26

137.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$5.42 R$29.62

11.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$0.88 R$4.82

57.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$1.17 R$6.41

86.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$1.48 R$8.09

-5.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$77.1 R$421

-21.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$1.25 R$6.84

-25.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$0.69 R$3.78

30.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$7.41 R$40.46

-33.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.15 R$6.27

33.91%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$19.7K R$107.5K

79.80%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$28.6K R$156.5K

16.53%

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

$117 R 1,918

$93.1 R$509

25.69%

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

$25.71 R 421

$9.32 R$50.9

175.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$17.75 R$97.0

122.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$36.26 R$198

42.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$32.00 R$175

-64.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$6.08 R$33.24

46.22%

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

$308 R 5,040

$606 R$3,313

-49.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$6,674 R$36.5K

21.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$58.6 R$320

-2.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$29.21 R$160

8.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$61.3 R$335

89.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$44.00 R$240

128.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$337 R$1,843

210.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$223 R$1,220

199.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$842 R$4,598

121.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$612 R$3,345

129.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$1,170 R$6,391

106.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$723 R$3,948

117.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$734 R$4,009

122.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

10.67

2.06%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Macaé

$223 27.3% 66.6% $446

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Macaé

$156 19.1% 30% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Macaé

$120 14.7% 34% $62

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Macaé

$97 11.8% 44.5% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Macaé

$87 10.6% 36.9% $51

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Macaé

$88 10.7% 22.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Macaé

$48 5.9% 30.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $337 in Macaé. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $27 in Macaé. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $156 – making Macaé the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

17:03 5:03 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

246,391

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.13 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Macaé 5,980 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 86% more than Macaé, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,229 in Macaé. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Macaé, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $819 in Macaé. That makes Macaé about 46% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Macaé, where all-in costs run around $819, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Macaé it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $819 in Macaé to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Macaé. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.