Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Manila Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Manila

😐 Solo nomad: Cape Town is 15.9% more expensive than Manila without rent, and 30.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cape Town is 21.4% more expensive than Manila without rent, and 29.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Manila
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.06 R 180
$5.37 ₱322
105.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.39 R 740
$27.02 ₱1,619
67.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.09 R 82.9
$4.46 ₱267
14.13%
Cappuccino
$2.08 R 33.88
$2.64 ₱158
-21.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 R 18.97
$0.92 ₱55.1
26.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.89 R 14.55
$0.50 ₱29.79
78.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.84 R 46.27
$1.55 ₱92.7
83.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.45 R 39.90
$2.73 ₱163
-10.26%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Manila
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 R 17.88
$1.88 ₱113
-41.49%
White Bread (500g)
$1.10 R 17.86
$1.40 ₱83.8
-21.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 R 29.85
$1.08 ₱65.0
69.44%
Eggs
$2.50 R 40.77
$2.06 ₱124
21.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.65 R 141
$9.50 ₱569
-8.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.06 R 82.5
$5.20 ₱312
-2.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.58 R 124
$8.66 ₱519
-12.47%
Apples (1kg)
$1.57 R 25.61
$3.51 ₱210
-55.27%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 23.04
$1.73 ₱103
-18.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.51
$3.49 ₱209
-57.02%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.53 R 24.94
$2.49 ₱149
-38.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.09 R 17.69
$2.83 ₱169
-61.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.18 R 19.27
$3.09 ₱185
-61.81%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.06 R 17.27
$1.96 ₱117
-45.92%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 R 16.09
$0.69 ₱41.21
43.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.11 R 50.6
$3.44 ₱206
-9.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.36 R 104
$10.02 ₱601
-36.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 R 22.31
$1.45 ₱86.9
-5.52%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.75 R 28.60
$2.22 ₱133
-21.17%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Manila
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 R 14.94
$0.48 ₱28.77
91.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$48.28 R 787
$11.92 ₱714
305.03%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.38 R 22.45
$0.85 ₱51.0
62.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.93 R 15.16
$0.25 ₱14.98
272.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.37 R 71.2
$2.16 ₱129
102.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 R 19.56
$1.12 ₱67.2
7.14%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.6K R 351.9K
$26.1K ₱1.6M
-17.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K R 391.3K
$22.4K ₱1.3M
7.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Manila
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 R 1,654
$135 ₱8,074
-24.72%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.97 R 537
$21.66 ₱1,298
52.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.85 R 666
$27.09 ₱1,623
50.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Manila
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.59 R 694
$41.91 ₱2,511
1.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.89 R 129
$6.82 ₱409
15.69%
Cinema Ticket
$6.62 R 108
$6.88 ₱412
-3.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Manila
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$213 R 3,469
$363 ₱21.7K
-41.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,331 R 86.9K
$11.5K ₱688.8K
-53.64%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Manila
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.6 R 890
$45.72 ₱2,739
19.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.27 R 542
$34.42 ₱2,062
-3.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$114 R 1,866
$81.2 ₱4,863
41.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$84.0 R 1,369
$46.98 ₱2,815
78.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Manila
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$767 R 12.5K
$503 ₱30.1K
52.48%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$525 R 8,551
$270 ₱16.2K
94.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,440 R 23.5K
$1,689 ₱101.2K
-14.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 R 16.4K
$631 ₱37.8K
59.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,240 R 36.5K
$4,403 ₱263.8K
-49.11%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,451 R 23.6K
$2,636 ₱157.9K
-44.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Manila
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,707 R 27.8K
$453 ₱27.1K
276.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.77
7.52
56.52%

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

Last update for Cape Town: April 14, 2026

Last update for Manila: April 12, 2026

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

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