Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Passo Fundo

For one person, living is cheaper in Passo Fundo: $817 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Passo Fundo
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Passo Fundo Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Passo Fundo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Passo Fundo

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $817 in Passo Fundo, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Passo Fundo $817

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,417 in Passo Fundo, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Passo Fundo $1,417

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,017 in Passo Fundo, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Passo Fundo $2,017

Cape Town costs about 87% more than Passo Fundo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Passo Fundo is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$5.61 R$30.76

114.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$29.68 R$163

44.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$6.49 R$35.64

-5.24%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$1.82 R$9.99

30.22%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.29 R$7.07

-1.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.78 R$4.29

20.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.15 R$11.80

37.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.74 R$15.03

34.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.91 R$5.01

45.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.53 R$8.42

-20.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$0.72 R$3.97

205.56%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.15 R$11.80

44.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.66 R$53.0

-9.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$4.57 R$25.05

50.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.06 R$49.72

2.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.23 R$12.21

-17.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.12 R$6.12

74.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$0.93 R$5.12

78.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.21 R$6.65

76.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.16 R$6.39

36.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.99 R$5.46

48.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.81 R$4.44

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.71 R$3.91

60.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$2.28 R$12.51

57.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.15 R$39.26

-15.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.09 R$5.97

27.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.05 R$11.23

6.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$1.07 R$5.87

30.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$49.22 R$270

23.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.35 R$7.41

-31.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.77 R$4.25

16.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$7.77 R$42.63

-36.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.10 R$6.04

40.00%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$22.0K R$120.9K

60.51%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$31.2K R$171.3K

6.91%

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

$117 R 1,929

$69.1 R$379

69.40%

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

$25.71 R 424

$8.43 R$46.27

204.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$19.58 R$107

101.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$25.47 R$140

102.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$16.64 R$91.3

-31.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$5.92 R$32.46

50.17%

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

$308 R 5,069

$172 R$946

78.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$6,654 R$36.5K

22.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$46.71 R$256

22.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$54.6 R$300

-41.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$95.3 R$523

21.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$74.3 R$408

35.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$290 R$1,592

260.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$208 R$1,141

221.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$747 R$4,099

149.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$638 R$3,501

120.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,821 R$9,990

32.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,649 R$9,049

-4.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$654 R$3,590

149.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

11.5

-5.30%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Passo Fundo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Passo Fundo

$208 25.5% 68.9% $461

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Passo Fundo

$184 22.5% 17.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Passo Fundo

$97 11.9% 46.7% $85

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Passo Fundo

$111 13.5% 36.4% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Passo Fundo

$122 14.9% 11.4% $16

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Passo Fundo

$59 7.2% 18.2% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Passo Fundo

$37 4.6% 46.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $290 in Passo Fundo. 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 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $30 in Passo Fundo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $184 – making Passo Fundo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Passo Fundo

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

07:31 7:31 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

206,215

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Passo Fundo 6,640 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Passo Fundo

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 Passo Fundo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 87% more than Passo Fundo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,226 in Passo Fundo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Passo Fundo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $290 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $817 in Passo Fundo. That makes Passo Fundo about 46% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Passo Fundo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Passo Fundo, where all-in costs run around $817, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Passo Fundo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Passo Fundo – 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 Passo Fundo. 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.