Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $726 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $726 in Mombasa, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Mombasa $726

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,140 in Mombasa, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Mombasa $1,140

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,553 in Mombasa, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Mombasa $1,553

Cape Town costs about 116% more than Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Mombasa is 46% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$2.65 KES 343

344.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$24.75 KES 3,210

88.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$10.36 KES 1,343

-42.47%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.75 KES 357

-10.18%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.68 KES 88.1

95.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.52 KES 67.1

98.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$2.28 KES 296

32.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$3.33 KES 432

9.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$0.99 KES 128

40.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.53 KES 69.3

124.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.52 KES 197

38.82%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$1.75 KES 227

72.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$13.89 KES 1,802

-35.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$4.92 KES 639

35.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$5.42 KES 703

71.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.17 KES 282

-15.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.15 KES 149

65.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.77 KES 230

-1.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$0.71 KES 91.6

194.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$0.74 KES 95.8

109.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.05 KES 136

41.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.60 KES 78.0

116.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.46 KES 59.4

152.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$3.99 KES 517

-7.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$9.71 KES 1,259

-37.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.93 KES 250

-27.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$2.90 KES 377

-24.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.80 KES 103

88.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$39.24 KES 5,089

55.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$3.17 KES 411

-80.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$1.76 KES 229

-13.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$4.49 KES 583

7.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.59 KES 206

-0.63%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$12.1K KES 1.6M

192.92%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

161.15%

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

$116 R 1,920

$76.8 KES 9,958

51.58%

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

$28.37 R 468

$9.20 KES 1,194

208.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$34.52 KES 4,478

17.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$18.03 KES 2,339

170.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$19.39 KES 2,515

-42.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$15.22 KES 1,974

-41.98%

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

$261 R 4,314

$85.5 KES 11.1K

205.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$5,377 KES 697.4K

24.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$13.31 KES 1,727

316.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$13.57 KES 1,760

137.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$23.10 KES 2,996

408.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$46.02 KES 5,969

132.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$231 KES 30.0K

339.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$157 KES 20.3K

356.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$538 KES 69.8K

234.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$374 KES 48.5K

255.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$5,456 KES 707.6K

-57.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$3,836 KES 497.6K

-60.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$318 KES 41.3K

414.21%

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 Mombasa: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Mombasa

$157 21.8% 78.1% $559

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Mombasa

$186 26% 16.2% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Mombasa

$121 16.8% 35% $65

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Mombasa

$108 15.1% 37.7% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Mombasa

$43 6% 69.3% $97

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Mombasa

$54 7.6% 27.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Mombasa

$48 6.8% 27.1% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $231 in Mombasa. 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 414% 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 $25.00 in Mombasa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $186 – making Mombasa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,300,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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 = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.88 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Mombasa 3,980 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Mombasa

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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 116% more than Mombasa, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,089 in Mombasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mombasa, 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 $726 in Mombasa. That's a gap of about 116%.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Mombasa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mombasa, where all-in costs run around $726, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Mombasa 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. Mombasa costs $726 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Mombasa. 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.