Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ondo

For one person, living is cheaper in Ondo: $370 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Ondo
🇳🇬 Nigeria
$370
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $370 in Ondo, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,586
  • Ondo $370

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $769 in Ondo, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,425
  • Ondo $769

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,168 in Ondo, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,263
  • Ondo $1,168

Cape Town costs about 328% more than Ondo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ondo is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Ondo
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.14 R 200
$3.72 ₦4,952
226.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.34 R 747
$50.8 ₦67.5K
-10.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.88 R 96.9
$7.71 ₦10.3K
-23.74%
Cappuccino
$2.50 R 41.18
$2.73 ₦3,628
-8.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 R 20.94
$0.17 ₦225
647.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.98 R 16.14
$0.22 ₦291
345.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.99 R 49.33
$0.97 ₦1,291
208.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.72 R 61.4
$2.03 ₦2,707
83.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Ondo
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.40
$3.05 ₦4,051
-57.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.25 R 20.68
$1.50 ₦1,989
-16.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.23 R 36.76
$1.20 ₦1,599
85.83%
Eggs
$3.11 R 51.2
$2.18 ₦2,893
42.66%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.06 R 149
$3.47 ₦4,621
161.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.92 R 114
$3.85 ₦5,116
79.74%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.30 R 153
$2.66 ₦3,535
249.62%
Apples (1kg)
$1.84 R 30.25
$1.72 ₦2,281
6.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.96 R 32.29
$1.30 ₦1,727
50.77%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.67 R 27.45
$1.10 ₦1,466
51.82%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 R 35.70
$1.28 ₦1,706
69.53%
Potato (1kg)
$1.57 R 25.81
$1.32 ₦1,750
18.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.48 R 24.45
$1.30 ₦1,725
13.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.30 R 21.41
$0.89 ₦1,185
46.07%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 R 18.60
$0.39 ₦524
189.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.60 R 59.3
$0.60 ₦796
500.00%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.15 R 101
$2.48 ₦3,295
147.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 22.66
$0.50 ₦664
176.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 R 35.20
$0.46 ₦608
365.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Ondo
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.50 R 24.65
$0.15 ₦204
900.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$60.8 R 1,001
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.59 R 9.71
$0.65 ₦870
-9.23%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.50 R 24.65
$0.98 ₦1,308
53.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.11 R 84.2
$2.21 ₦2,941
131.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.55 R 25.50
$0.85 ₦1,127
82.35%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.2K R 596.5K
$11.2K ₦14.9M
224.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$31.2K R 514.8K
$13.9K ₦18.4M
125.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Ondo
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$114 R 1,883
$7.70 ₦10.2K
1384.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.91 R 476
$14.81 ₦19.7K
95.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.73 R 654
$33.20 ₦44.2K
19.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Ondo
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$49.01 R 808
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.99 R 181
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$9.15 R 151
$6.30 ₦8,382
45.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Ondo
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$259 R 4,264
$675 ₦898.1K
-61.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,794 R 111.9K
$19.6K ₦26.0M
-65.25%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Ondo
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.2 R 926
$14.78 ₦19.7K
280.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.41 R 534
$18.04 ₦24.0K
79.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 R 1,987
$36.20 ₦48.2K
233.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 R 1,781
$48.20 ₦64.1K
124.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Ondo
Difference
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
$223 ₦296.1K
719.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,327 R 21.9K
$149 ₦197.9K
791.67%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,391 R 39.4K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,542 R 25.4K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Ondo
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,639 R 27.0K
$26.04 ₦34.6K
6192.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.97
18.39
-40.35%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ondo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$717
Ondo
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$225
Ondo
$147 34.7% $78
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$183
Ondo
$56 69.5% $127
Eating Out
Cape Town
$176
Ondo
$96 45.4% $80
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$143
Ondo
$53 63.1% $90
Getting Around
Cape Town
$75
Ondo
$6.2 * 91.7% $69
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$67
Ondo
$13 * 81.3% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 6193% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $51.0 in Ondo. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $147 in Ondo – so Ondo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇳🇬 Ondo
🕒 Local time
20:49 8:49 PM
19:49 7:49 PM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
275,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,496 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Ondo 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Ondo

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 Ondo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cape Town or Ondo?
Cape Town costs about 328% more than Ondo, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cape Town and in Ondo?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $555 in Ondo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How much does it cost to live in Cape Town compared to Ondo?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $370 in Ondo. That's a gap of about 328%.
How do childcare costs compare in Cape Town and in Ondo?
Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $675 in Ondo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cape Town or in Ondo?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ondo, where all-in costs run around $370, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ondo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cape Town or Ondo?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ondo costs $370 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Cape Town or to Ondo?
If budget matters most, go with Ondo. 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.

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