Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Merignac

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,556 a month against $1,887 in Merignac, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Merignac
Learn more

Merignac Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Merignac

🇫🇷 France

$1,887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,887 in Merignac, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Merignac $1,887

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $2,897 in Merignac, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Merignac $2,897

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,907 in Merignac, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Merignac $3,907

Cape Town is about 18% cheaper than Merignac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Merignac sit above the global median – Cape Town by 14%, Merignac by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$16.82 €15.11

-28.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$77.8 €69.8

-42.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$13.43 €12.07

-54.21%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$3.96 €3.55

-40.40%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$2.93 €2.63

-57.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$1.38 €1.24

-27.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$7.44 €6.68

-58.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$6.63 €5.96

-44.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$1.17 €1.06

14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$1.98 €1.78

-39.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$2.52 €2.26

-16.67%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$3.49 €3.14

-12.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$13.55 €12.17

-35.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$14.70 €13.20

-52.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$20.03 €17.99

-53.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$3.43 €3.08

-44.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$2.25 €2.02

-16.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$3.29 €2.96

-48.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$3.47 €3.12

-41.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$2.27 €2.04

-30.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$2.88 €2.59

-48.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$1.37 €1.23

-6.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$0.51 €0.46

133.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$13.21 €11.86

-72.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$8.92 €8.01

-30.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$3.46 €3.11

-59.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$3.40 €3.06

-35.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$1.95 €1.75

-29.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

$55.2 €49.56

11.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$2.29 €2.05

-75.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$1.81 €1.63

-18.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$37.65 €33.82

-86.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$2.18 €1.96

-27.52%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$35.0K €31.4K

-0.83%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$36.2K €32.5K

-5.67%

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

$117 R 1,948

$222 €200

-47.40%

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

$28.35 R 472

$14.09 €12.65

101.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$30.79 €27.66

31.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$31.86 €28.62

52.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$12.97 €11.65

-29.76%

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

$302 R 5,032

$797 €716

-62.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$10.3K €9,244

-34.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$112 €101

-50.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$45.56 €40.93

-28.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$107 €96.1

10.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$146 €131

-28.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$862 €774

20.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$656 €589

5.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$1,599 €1,436

23.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$1,144 €1,028

21.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$3,985 €3,580

-39.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$3,034 €2,726

-48.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.79

189.45%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Merignac: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Merignac

$656 34.8% 5% $35

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Merignac

$357 18.9% 59.7% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Merignac

$267 14.2% 43.8% $81

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Merignac

$290 15.4% 65.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Merignac

$185 9.8% 32.7% $46

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Merignac

$74 3.9% 0.5% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Merignac

$58 3.1% 13.4% $9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $862 in Merignac. 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 $44 in Cape Town versus $78 in Merignac. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $357 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇫🇷 Merignac

🕒 Local time

14:56 2:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

75,729

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Cape Town Merignac 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Merignac

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 Merignac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Merignac costs about 21% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,831 in Merignac. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Merignac, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $862 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,887 in Merignac. That’s a gap of about 21%.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Merignac. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,887 in Merignac. 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 $1,556 in Cape Town to $1,887 in Merignac. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.