Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ongata Rongai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongata Rongai: $571 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Ongata Rongai
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Ongata Rongai Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Ongata Rongai

🇰🇪 Kenya

$571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Ongata Rongai

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $571 in Ongata Rongai, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Ongata Rongai $571

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $880 in Ongata Rongai, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Ongata Rongai $880

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,189 in Ongata Rongai, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Ongata Rongai $1,189

Cape Town costs about 178% more than Ongata Rongai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Ongata Rongai is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$6.38 KES 827

90.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$19.02 KES 2,465

138.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.23 KES 808

-5.62%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.97 KES 256

26.90%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.32 KES 41.56

296.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.41 KES 52.8

139.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.35 KES 304

27.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.77 KES 359

34.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.45 KES 57.9

188.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.48 KES 62.6

160.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.58 KES 205

41.14%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.35 KES 175

130.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$4.29 KES 556

111.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.46 KES 449

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$3.55 KES 460

161.97%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.24 KES 161

48.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.09 KES 142

79.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.13 KES 147

47.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.61 KES 78.6

255.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.74 KES 95.5

112.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.47 KES 61.4

214.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.73 KES 94.1

78.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.44 KES 56.7

156.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.30 KES 298

56.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$9.13 KES 1,184

-32.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.28 KES 295

-39.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.82 KES 365

-24.11%

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

$1.57 KES 204

-62.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.53 KES 198

-1.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$2.94 KES 381

73.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.62 KES 210

-4.32%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$21.6K KES 2.8M

67.38%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$20.0K KES 2.6M

56.34%

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

$114 R 1,883

$55.0 KES 7,130

107.85%

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

$28.91 R 476

$14.94 KES 1,938

93.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$34.88 KES 4,522

13.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$7.56 KES 980

21.03%

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

$259 R 4,264

$252 KES 32.7K

2.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$12.6K KES 1.6M

-45.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$28.60 KES 3,709

96.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$29.63 KES 3,841

9.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$68.8 KES 8,913

75.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$58.7 KES 7,611

84.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$152 KES 19.7K

572.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$116 KES 15.0K

518.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$235 KES 30.5K

675.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$235 KES 30.5K

463.60%

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

14.71

-25.42%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ongata Rongai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Ongata Rongai

$116 20.3% 83.8% $601

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Ongata Rongai

$129 22.6% 42.8% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Ongata Rongai

$105 18.4% 42.7% $78

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Ongata Rongai

$114 19.9% 35.5% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Ongata Rongai

$84 14.6% 41.5% $59

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Ongata Rongai

$9.2 * 1.6% 87.7% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Ongata Rongai

$15 * 2.7% 77.5% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $152 in Ongata Rongai. 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $19.00 in Ongata Rongai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $129 – making Ongata Rongai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇰🇪 Ongata Rongai

🕒 Local time

13:54 1:54 PM

14:54 2:54 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

172,569

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Ongata Rongai 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ongata Rongai

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 Ongata Rongai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 178% more than Ongata Rongai, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $856 in Ongata Rongai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ongata Rongai, 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 $1,586 in Cape Town and $571 in Ongata Rongai. That's a gap of about 178%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $252 in Ongata Rongai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ongata Rongai, where all-in costs run around $571, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ongata Rongai 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. Ongata Rongai costs $571 versus $1,586 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 Ongata Rongai. 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.