Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Margate, South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Margate: $891 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Margate
Learn more

Margate Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Margate

🇿🇦 South Africa

$891

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $891 in Margate, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Margate $891

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $1,419 in Margate, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Margate $1,419

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,947 in Margate, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Margate $1,947

Cape Town costs about 75% more than Margate, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while Margate is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$7.72 R 129

56.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$36.77 R 613

20.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$5.95 R 99.2

3.36%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$1.89 R 31.55

24.87%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$1.05 R 17.58

20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$0.84 R 14.03

19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$2.44 R 40.72

26.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$2.30 R 38.37

60.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$0.99 R 16.45

35.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$0.91 R 15.10

30.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$1.13 R 18.75

85.84%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$2.38 R 39.67

28.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$5.21 R 86.8

67.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$3.41 R 56.8

104.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$6.01 R 100

56.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$1.16 R 19.25

62.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$1.25 R 20.88

50.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$1.09 R 18.16

55.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$1.41 R 23.52

44.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$1.10 R 18.25

42.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$1.33 R 22.11

11.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$1.10 R 18.40

16.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$0.97 R 16.18

22.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$1.62 R 26.95

124.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$3.63 R 60.5

69.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$1.48 R 24.64

-6.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$1.85 R 30.90

17.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$1.56 R 25.93

-12.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$0.45 R 7.43

26.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$0.71 R 11.90

108.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$7.76 R 129

-36.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$1.37 R 22.90

15.33%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$35.1K R 584.9K

-1.11%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$33.7K R 561.2K

1.25%

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

$117 R 1,948

$61.6 R 1,027

89.77%

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

$28.35 R 472

$18.40 R 307

54.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$32.91 R 548

23.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$32.81 R 547

47.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$10.97 R 183

-1.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$4.34 R 72.3

109.91%

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

$302 R 5,032

$310 R 5,169

-2.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$7,680 R 128.0K

-12.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$54.6 R 909

1.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$18.27 R 304

78.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$71.7 R 1,195

64.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$49.48 R 825

109.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$395 R 6,587

163.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$363 R 6,055

90.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$743 R 12.4K

166.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$724 R 12.1K

91.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$880 R 14.7K

174.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$696 R 11.6K

122.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

$1,528 R 25.5K

3.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.78

-6.88%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Margate: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Margate

$363 40.8% 47.4% $327

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Margate

$149 16.7% 33.5% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Margate

$113 12.7% 39.2% $73

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Margate

$127 14.2% 27.7% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Margate

$87 9.8% 37.3% $52

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Margate

$10 * 1.2% 86.3% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Margate

$41 4.7% 37.9% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $395 in Margate. 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 3% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $37 in Margate. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $149 – making Margate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Margate

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

34,407

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Margate 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Margate

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 Margate: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 75% more than Margate, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $1,336 in Margate. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Margate, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $891 in Margate. That’s a gap of about 75%.

Kindergarten costs $302 per month in Cape Town and $310 in Margate. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,556 in Cape Town and $891 in Margate. 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 $891 in Margate to $1,556 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Margate. 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.