Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Muralto

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,599 a month against $3,658 in Muralto, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Muralto
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Muralto Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Muralto

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $3,658 in Muralto, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Muralto $3,658

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $5,343 in Muralto, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Muralto $5,343

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $7,028 in Muralto, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Muralto $7,028

Cape Town is about 56% cheaper than Muralto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Muralto sit above the global median – Cape Town by 18%, Muralto by 170%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 201

$29.20 CHF 24.17

-58.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 776

$114 CHF 94.2

-59.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 103

$16.59 CHF 13.73

-62.63%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.53

$5.15 CHF 4.26

-51.46%

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

$1.35 R 22.50

$6.21 CHF 5.14

-78.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.63

$4.71 CHF 3.90

-78.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.9

$9.46 CHF 7.83

-67.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 61.1

$7.74 CHF 6.41

-52.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.66

$1.96 CHF 1.62

-33.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 21.10

$3.87 CHF 3.20

-67.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 36.03

$3.75 CHF 3.11

-42.13%

Eggs

$3.09 R 51.4

$7.68 CHF 6.36

-59.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 149

$27.36 CHF 22.64

-67.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 116

$28.87 CHF 23.89

-75.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 161

$35.86 CHF 29.68

-73.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 31.08

$3.82 CHF 3.16

-51.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 32.03

$2.06 CHF 1.70

-6.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.42

$2.55 CHF 2.11

-30.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 36.21

$4.33 CHF 3.58

-49.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.31

$2.09 CHF 1.73

-27.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.87

$2.01 CHF 1.67

-22.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.95

$2.55 CHF 2.11

-48.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 19.16

$1.18 CHF 0.98

-2.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 62.0

$9.67 CHF 8.00

-61.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 100

$11.58 CHF 9.58

-48.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.35

$3.17 CHF 2.62

-57.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.45

$3.26 CHF 2.70

-34.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.78

$4.14 CHF 3.43

-62.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,020

$108 CHF 89.4

-43.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.95

$7.76 CHF 6.42

-92.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.60

$4.64 CHF 3.84

-66.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 83.3

$68.8 CHF 56.9

-92.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.58

$2.17 CHF 1.80

-26.27%

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

$35.4K R 589.1K

$37.4K CHF 31.0K

-5.39%

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

$34.7K R 576.4K

$40.0K CHF 33.1K

-13.39%

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

$119 R 1,974

$252 CHF 208

-52.88%

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

$29.42 R 489

$28.49 CHF 23.58

3.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 662

$63.8 CHF 52.8

-37.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 844

$97.5 CHF 80.7

-47.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 182

$48.05 CHF 39.77

-77.25%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 150

$27.04 CHF 22.38

-66.75%

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

$261 R 4,344

$3,346 CHF 2,769

-92.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 115.9K

$27.8K CHF 23.0K

-74.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 934

$152 CHF 126

-63.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 553

$61.0 CHF 50.5

-45.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 2,019

$172 CHF 142

-29.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,797

$208 CHF 172

-48.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 17.1K

$1,746 CHF 1,445

-41.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 12.0K

$1,707 CHF 1,413

-57.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.5K

$2,536 CHF 2,099

-27.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.6K

$2,542 CHF 2,104

-46.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 40.0K

$15.7K CHF 13.0K

-84.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 25.0K

$10.9K CHF 9,026

-86.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

2.07

429.95%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Muralto: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Muralto

$1.7K 46.7% 137% $987

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Muralto

$581 15.9% 157% $355

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Muralto

$344 9.4% 83.1% $156

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Muralto

$452 12.4% 155% $275

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Muralto

$267 7.3% 86% $123

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Muralto

$156 4.3% 105% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Muralto

$152 4.1% 121% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $1,746 in Muralto. 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 $47 in Cape Town versus $114 in Muralto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $581 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇭 Muralto

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

02:32 2:32 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

2,700

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.63 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.828 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.927 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Muralto 8,960 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Muralto

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 Muralto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muralto costs about 129% 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 $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $5,487 in Muralto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,028 there versus $1,746 in Muralto.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $3,658 in Muralto. That’s a gap of about 129%.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,599 in Cape Town and $3,658 in Muralto. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Cape Town is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 129% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.