Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Mbeya

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbeya: $419 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Mbeya
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Mbeya Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Mbeya

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$419

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $419 in Mbeya, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Mbeya $419

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $653 in Mbeya, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Mbeya $653

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $888 in Mbeya, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Mbeya $888

Cape Town costs about 274% more than Mbeya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Mbeya is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$22.66 TZS 59.5K

105.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$7.48 TZS 19.6K

-20.32%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$1.54 TZS 4,050

60.39%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.37 TZS 961

259.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.39 TZS 1,033

164.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$0.72 TZS 1,899

318.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$0.55 TZS 1,441

152.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.98 TZS 2,578

21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$0.97 TZS 2,545

117.53%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.22 TZS 5,821

35.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$3.70 TZS 9,713

142.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$3.74 TZS 9,806

77.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$3.49 TZS 9,148

166.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$1.11 TZS 2,924

64.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$0.78 TZS 2,056

143.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$0.99 TZS 2,610

76.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$0.74 TZS 1,954

182.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.93 TZS 2,439

66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.73 TZS 1,928

104.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.58 TZS 1,529

124.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.78 TZS 2,048

48.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$1.12 TZS 2,943

231.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$3.82 TZS 10.0K

58.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$0.73 TZS 1,908

90.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.11 TZS 2,923

98.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.36 TZS 957

319.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$1.11 TZS 2,906

-43.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$1.91 TZS 5,024

-19.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$2.68 TZS 7,031

79.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.19 TZS 3,111

32.77%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

$23.67 TZS 62.1K

391.68%

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

$28.37 R 468

$18.99 TZS 49.8K

49.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$44.78 TZS 117.5K

-9.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$38.23 TZS 100.3K

27.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$9.65 TZS 25.3K

-8.50%

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

$261 R 4,314

$186 TZS 487.8K

40.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$1,137 TZS 3.0M

489.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$11.26 TZS 29.6K

392.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$9.75 TZS 25.6K

230.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$18.97 TZS 49.8K

519.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$26.24 TZS 68.8K

307.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$112 TZS 294.2K

805.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$76.4 TZS 200.5K

836.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$190 TZS 497.9K

849.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$114 TZS 299.3K

1066.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$191 TZS 501.0K

756.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-15.62%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mbeya: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Mbeya

$76 17.9% 89.3% $639

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Mbeya

$116 27.1% 48% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Mbeya

$87 20.5% 52.9% $98

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Mbeya

$48 * 11.2% 72.6% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Mbeya

$30 7% 78.8% $111

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Mbeya

$12 * 2.8% 83.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Mbeya

$58 13.5% 13.5% $9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $112 in Mbeya. 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 757% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $23.00 in Mbeya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $116 – making Mbeya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇹🇿 Mbeya

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

541,603

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2,624 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD). 1 EUR = 2,943 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.4 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Mbeya 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Mbeya

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 Mbeya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 274% more than Mbeya, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $628 in Mbeya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbeya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $419 in Mbeya. That's a gap of about 274%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $186 in Mbeya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mbeya, where all-in costs run around $419, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Mbeya 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. Mbeya costs $419 versus $1,568 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 Mbeya. 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.