Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Martigny

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,297 in Martigny, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Cape Town, South Africa
Martigny, Switzerland
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Martigny
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,297
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $3,297 in Martigny, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,527
  • Martigny $3,297

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $5,061 in Martigny, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,417
  • Martigny $5,061

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $6,825 in Martigny, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,306
  • Martigny $6,825

Cape Town is about 54% cheaper than Martigny, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Martigny sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Martigny by 144%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Martigny
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.01 R 198
$34.17 CHF 27.86
-64.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.92 R 707
$106 CHF 86.1
-59.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.15 R 101
$19.33 CHF 15.76
-68.18%
Cappuccino
$2.37 R 39.04
$4.68 CHF 3.81
-49.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 20.96
$4.99 CHF 4.07
-74.55%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.46
$4.34 CHF 3.54
-78.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.96 R 48.77
$7.48 CHF 6.10
-60.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 R 60.8
$6.00 CHF 4.89
-38.50%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Martigny
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.32 R 21.73
$2.22 CHF 1.81
-40.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.21 R 19.87
$3.66 CHF 2.99
-66.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 R 36.26
$2.51 CHF 2.05
-12.35%
Eggs
$3.10 R 51.1
$4.27 CHF 3.48
-27.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.73 R 144
$24.25 CHF 19.78
-64.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.89 R 114
$19.23 CHF 15.68
-64.17%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.26 R 153
$30.12 CHF 24.56
-69.26%
Apples (1kg)
$1.83 R 30.08
$3.27 CHF 2.67
-44.04%
Banana (1kg)
$1.95 R 32.12
$1.67 CHF 1.36
16.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 R 27.32
$2.50 CHF 2.04
-33.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.14 R 35.19
$6.57 CHF 5.36
-67.43%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 R 26.01
$1.81 CHF 1.48
-12.71%
Onion (1kg)
$1.47 R 24.29
$2.22 CHF 1.81
-33.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.35 R 22.18
$1.20 CHF 0.98
12.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 R 18.85
$1.18 CHF 0.96
-3.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.58 R 59.0
$10.78 CHF 8.79
-66.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.05 R 99.7
$12.14 CHF 9.90
-50.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 R 22.95
$1.20 CHF 0.98
15.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R 35.90
$2.39 CHF 1.95
-8.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Martigny
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.40 R 23.02
$4.64 CHF 3.78
-69.83%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.8 R 1,001
$107 CHF 86.9
-43.02%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.93 R 15.26
$7.37 CHF 6.01
-87.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.90 R 14.83
$5.66 CHF 4.61
-84.10%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.96 R 81.7
$80.1 CHF 65.3
-93.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.54 R 25.37
$2.35 CHF 1.91
-34.47%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K R 582.8K
$38.7K CHF 31.6K
-8.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.4K R 549.9K
$40.2K CHF 32.8K
-16.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Martigny
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$117 R 1,929
$336 CHF 274
-65.20%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$25.71 R 424
$25.48 CHF 20.77
0.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.41 R 649
$49.69 CHF 40.52
-20.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Martigny
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.6 R 850
$94.8 CHF 77.3
-45.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.35 R 187
$40.96 CHF 33.40
-72.29%
Cinema Ticket
$8.89 R 146
$20.57 CHF 16.78
-56.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Martigny
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 R 5,069
$3,299 CHF 2,690
-90.67%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,141 R 134.2K
$42.6K CHF 34.7K
-80.87%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Martigny
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.4 R 946
$111 CHF 90.8
-48.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.75 R 523
$49.38 CHF 40.26
-35.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$116 R 1,911
$170 CHF 138
-31.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 R 1,660
$172 CHF 141
-41.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Martigny
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,047 R 17.2K
$1,842 CHF 1,502
-43.17%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$669 R 11.0K
$1,410 CHF 1,150
-52.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,861 R 30.7K
$2,952 CHF 2,407
-36.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,407 R 23.2K
$2,614 CHF 2,132
-46.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,410 R 39.7K
$14.2K CHF 11.6K
-82.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,570 R 25.9K
$11.5K CHF 9,398
-86.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Martigny
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,630 R 26.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.89
2.37
359.49%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Martigny: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$669
Martigny
$1.4K 111% $741
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$223
Martigny
$478 114% $255
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$182
Martigny
$412 126% $229
Eating Out
Cape Town
$174
Martigny
$474 173% $300
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$138
Martigny
$226 64.4% $89
Getting Around
Cape Town
$72
Martigny
$161 124% $89
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$69
Martigny
$136 95.9% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,842 in Martigny. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $106 in Martigny. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $478 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇨🇭 Martigny
🕒 Local time
06:17 6:17 AM
05:17 5:17 AM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
14,361
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.815 CHF (1 CHF = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 0.915 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Martigny 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Martigny

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 Martigny: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cape Town or Martigny?
Martigny costs about 116% more than Cape Town, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cape Town and in Martigny?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $4,946 in Martigny. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Cape Town or Martigny?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,842 in Martigny.
How much does it cost to live in Cape Town compared to Martigny?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,297 in Martigny. That makes Cape Town about 54% cheaper.
How expensive is transport in Cape Town compared to Martigny?
Public transport costs about 43% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cape Town or in Martigny?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,297 in Martigny. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Cape Town is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 54% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

Cape Town vs other spots: cost of living compared

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