Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Midlands

For one person, living is cheaper in Midlands: $621 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Midlands
Learn more

Midlands Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Midlands

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $621 in Midlands, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Midlands $621

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,041 in Midlands, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Midlands $1,041

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,461 in Midlands, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Midlands $1,461

Cape Town costs about 155% more than Midlands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Midlands is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.78 MUR 272

110.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$38.17 MUR 1,797

18.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.46 MUR 351

-21.18%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.69 MUR 127

-7.06%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.12 MUR 52.8

13.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.67 MUR 31.64

46.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.60 MUR 123

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.74 MUR 223

-21.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.60 MUR 75.3

-18.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.71 MUR 33.65

76.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.10 MUR 51.8

102.73%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.63 MUR 124

18.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.33 MUR 251

69.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.14 MUR 289

12.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.08 MUR 522

-16.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.74 MUR 129

-32.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.64 MUR 125

-25.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.42 MUR 67.1

17.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.98 MUR 140

-27.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.92 MUR 43.45

70.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.00 MUR 47.23

48.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.68 MUR 31.98

91.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.88 MUR 41.57

28.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.47 MUR 304

-44.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.63 MUR 406

-28.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.64 MUR 77.2

-15.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.35 MUR 111

-8.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.23 MUR 199

-86.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.13 MUR 148

-52.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$21.28 MUR 1,002

-75.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.40 MUR 65.8

10.71%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

-2.03%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$31.1K MUR 1.5M

0.42%

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

$114 R 1,883

$44.88 MUR 2,113

154.72%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.59 MUR 499

172.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$29.02 MUR 1,366

36.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.46 MUR 304

41.64%

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

$259 R 4,264

$128 MUR 6,031

102.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,748 MUR 364.8K

-12.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$77.7 MUR 3,657

-27.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$72.9 MUR 3,433

-55.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$121 MUR 5,712

-0.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$76.1 MUR 3,584

41.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.67

64.47%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Midlands: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Midlands

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Midlands

$216 34.9% 3.8% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Midlands

$85 13.6% 53.8% $98

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Midlands

$131 21% 25.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Midlands

$157 25.2% 9.7% $14

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Midlands

$20 * 3.2% 73.4% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Midlands

$13 * 2.1% 80.8% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $38.00 in Midlands. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $216 – making Midlands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Midlands

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

23:26 11:26 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

4,546

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Midlands 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Midlands

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 Midlands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 155% more than Midlands, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $931 in Midlands. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $621 in Midlands. That's a gap of about 155%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $128 in Midlands. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Midlands, where all-in costs run around $621, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Midlands 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. Midlands costs $621 versus $1,586 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 Midlands. 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.