Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Mahebourg

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahebourg: $952 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Mahebourg
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Mahebourg Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Mahebourg

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $952 in Mahebourg, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Mahebourg $952

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,194 in Mahebourg, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Mahebourg $1,194

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,435 in Mahebourg, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Mahebourg $1,435

Cape Town costs about 67% more than Mahebourg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Mahebourg is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.10 MUR 240

138.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$37.45 MUR 1,763

21.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.04 MUR 237

16.67%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.69 MUR 127

-7.06%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.12 MUR 52.8

13.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.63 MUR 29.56

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.62 MUR 123

14.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.77 MUR 225

-22.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.60 MUR 75.3

-18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.74 MUR 34.69

68.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.15 MUR 54.2

93.91%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.57 MUR 121

21.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.36 MUR 252

69.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.39 MUR 301

8.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.34 MUR 534

-17.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.75 MUR 129

-33.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.59 MUR 122

-24.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.39 MUR 65.5

20.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$3.00 MUR 141

-27.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.93 MUR 43.63

68.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.95 MUR 44.61

55.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.73 MUR 34.19

78.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.90 MUR 42.53

25.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.39 MUR 301

-43.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.53 MUR 402

-27.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.62 MUR 76.0

-14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.26 MUR 106

-5.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.14 MUR 195

-85.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.17 MUR 149

-52.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$21.07 MUR 992

-75.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.40 MUR 66.0

10.71%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.7K MUR 1.7M

1.55%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$31.2K MUR 1.5M

0.10%

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

$114 R 1,883

$44.34 MUR 2,087

157.83%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.70 MUR 504

170.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$29.46 MUR 1,387

34.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.35 MUR 299

44.09%

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

$259 R 4,264

$125 MUR 5,887

106.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,696 MUR 362.3K

-11.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$76.1 MUR 3,581

-26.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$75.0 MUR 3,533

-56.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$118 MUR 5,560

2.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$76.7 MUR 3,610

40.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$343 MUR 16.1K

109.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.67

64.47%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Mahebourg: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Mahebourg

$343 36% 52.2% $374

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Mahebourg

$218 22.9% 3% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Mahebourg

$85 8.9% 53.8% $98

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Mahebourg

$118 12.4% 33.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Mahebourg

$156 16.4% 9% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Mahebourg

$20 * 2.1% 73.3% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Mahebourg

$13 * 1.3% 81.1% $55

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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $37.00 in Mahebourg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $218 – making Mahebourg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Mahebourg

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

15,500

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Mahebourg 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Mahebourg

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 Mahebourg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 67% more than Mahebourg, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,428 in Mahebourg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $952 in Mahebourg. That's a gap of about 67%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $125 in Mahebourg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mahebourg, where all-in costs run around $952, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Mahebourg 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. Mahebourg costs $952 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mahebourg. 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.