Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Maldonado

For one person, living is cheaper in Maldonado: $1,361 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
65

Cost of Living Index in Maldonado
Learn more

Maldonado Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Maldonado

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,361

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,361 in Maldonado, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Maldonado $1,361

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,165 in Maldonado, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Maldonado $2,165

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,969 in Maldonado, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Maldonado $2,969

Cape Town costs about 12% more than Maldonado, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$14.90 UYU 599

-19.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$55.6 UYU 2,237

-22.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$13.91 UYU 559

-55.79%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$4.35 UYU 175

-45.52%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.54 UYU 102

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$2.28 UYU 91.7

-58.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.00 UYU 121

-1.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.59 UYU 144

2.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.13 UYU 45.25

16.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$2.78 UYU 112

-56.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.70 UYU 68.3

29.41%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$4.17 UYU 168

-25.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$13.99 UYU 563

-37.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$11.17 UYU 449

-38.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$11.64 UYU 468

-20.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.85 UYU 115

-35.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.21 UYU 88.9

-11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.63 UYU 65.7

1.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$3.10 UYU 125

-30.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.98 UYU 79.7

-20.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.06 UYU 82.9

-28.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.35 UYU 54.3

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.88 UYU 75.4

-39.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.51 UYU 222

-35.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$8.10 UYU 326

-25.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$2.23 UYU 89.9

-37.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.82 UYU 114

-22.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.41 UYU 56.9

-0.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$49.19 UYU 1,978

23.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$3.40 UYU 137

-72.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$1.05 UYU 42.09

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$9.96 UYU 401

-50.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.22 UYU 89.4

-30.63%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$26.7K UYU 1.1M

32.40%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$36.9K UYU 1.5M

-9.50%

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

$117 R 1,929

$116 UYU 4,676

0.69%

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

$25.71 R 424

$19.22 UYU 773

33.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$43.58 UYU 1,753

-9.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$47.91 UYU 1,927

7.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$29.46 UYU 1,185

-61.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$12.00 UYU 483

-25.92%

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

$308 R 5,069

$504 UYU 20.3K

-38.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$6,552 UYU 263.5K

24.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$89.6 UYU 3,604

-35.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$37.84 UYU 1,522

-16.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$120 UYU 4,838

-3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$116 UYU 4,660

-13.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$416 UYU 16.7K

151.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$313 UYU 12.6K

114.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$898 UYU 36.1K

107.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$586 UYU 23.6K

140.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$2,759 UYU 111.0K

-12.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,552 UYU 62.4K

1.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$982 UYU 39.5K

65.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

117.80%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Maldonado: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Maldonado

$313 23% 53.3% $357

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Maldonado

$316 23.2% 41.5% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Maldonado

$179 13.2% 1.7% $3.1

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Maldonado

$255 18.7% 46.3% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Maldonado

$164 12% 18.9% $26

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Maldonado

$63 4.7% 11.5% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Maldonado

$72 5.3% 3.6% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $416 in Maldonado. 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 66% higher in Cape Town. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $56 in Maldonado. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $316 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇺🇾 Maldonado

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

10:47 10:47 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

62,592

💱 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 Maldonado 6,570 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Maldonado

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 Maldonado: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 12% more than Maldonado, 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 $2,042 in Maldonado. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maldonado, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $416 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,361 in Maldonado. That makes Maldonado about 11% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Maldonado. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,361 in Maldonado, 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 $1,361 in Maldonado to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Maldonado. 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.