Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Mogi das Cruzes

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogi das Cruzes: $911 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Mogi das Cruzes
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Mogi das Cruzes Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Mogi das Cruzes

🇧🇷 Brazil

$911

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Mogi das Cruzes

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 Mogi das Cruzes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $911 in Mogi das Cruzes, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Mogi das Cruzes $911

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,403 in Mogi das Cruzes, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Mogi das Cruzes $1,403

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,896 in Mogi das Cruzes, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Mogi das Cruzes $1,896

Cape Town costs about 68% more than Mogi das Cruzes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Mogi das Cruzes is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$8.78 R$48.31

36.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$27.65 R$152

55.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$7.26 R$39.97

-15.29%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$1.37 R$7.57

72.99%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$1.23 R$6.76

3.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$0.81 R$4.47

16.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$2.20 R$12.11

34.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$2.80 R$15.40

31.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$0.96 R$5.27

37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.73 R$9.54

-30.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$1.23 R$6.79

78.86%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$2.36 R$12.98

31.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$8.97 R$49.36

-2.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$4.55 R$25.03

51.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$8.78 R$48.32

5.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.01 R$11.06

-8.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.35 R$7.44

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.12 R$6.15

48.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$1.24 R$6.85

72.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$1.21 R$6.68

30.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.16 R$6.38

26.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$0.90 R$4.94

50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$0.62 R$3.44

83.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$2.23 R$12.29

60.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$7.40 R$40.75

-18.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.44 R$7.93

-3.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$2.30 R$12.65

-5.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.08 R$5.92

29.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

$78.1 R$430

-22.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$1.02 R$5.62

-8.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$0.74 R$4.08

21.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$4.48 R$24.68

10.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.14 R$6.29

35.09%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$21.3K R$117.1K

66.20%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$30.5K R$167.7K

9.50%

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

$117 R 1,935

$61.1 R$336

91.70%

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

$25.71 R 425

$13.43 R$73.9

91.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$21.15 R$116

86.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$28.35 R$156

82.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$9.95 R$54.7

14.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$7.18 R$39.49

23.82%

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

$308 R 5,085

$232 R$1,278

32.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$5,572 R$30.7K

46.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$36.69 R$202

56.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$30.35 R$167

4.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$79.4 R$437

46.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$63.6 R$350

58.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$363 R$1,997

188.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$268 R$1,473

149.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$604 R$3,326

207.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$462 R$2,540

204.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

$1,417 R$7,797

70.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,176 R$6,471

33.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$303 R$1,666

438.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

10.81

0.74%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Mogi das Cruzes: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Mogi das Cruzes

$268 29.4% 60% $401

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Mogi das Cruzes

$190 20.8% 15% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Mogi das Cruzes

$96 10.5% 47.5% $87

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Mogi das Cruzes

$133 14.6% 23.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Mogi das Cruzes

$95 10.4% 31.3% $43

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Mogi das Cruzes

$87 9.6% 21.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Mogi das Cruzes

$43 4.7% 38.5% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $363 in Mogi das Cruzes. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $28 in Mogi das Cruzes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $190 – making Mogi das Cruzes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Mogi das Cruzes

🕒 Local time

00:19 12:19 AM

19:19 7:19 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

451,505

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Mogi das Cruzes 6,310 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Mogi das Cruzes

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 Mogi das Cruzes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 68% more than Mogi das Cruzes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,366 in Mogi das Cruzes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mogi das Cruzes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $363 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $911 in Mogi das Cruzes. That makes Mogi das Cruzes about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $911 in Mogi das Cruzes. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Mogi das Cruzes – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Mogi das Cruzes. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.