Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Passos

For one person, living is cheaper in Passos: $888 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Passos
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Passos Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Passos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$888

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $888 in Passos, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Passos $888

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,429 in Passos, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Passos $1,429

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,970 in Passos, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Passos $1,970

Cape Town costs about 72% more than Passos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Passos is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$9.01 R$49.41

33.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$33.79 R$185

27.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$8.39 R$46.01

-26.70%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.12 R$11.61

11.79%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.24 R$6.82

2.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.83 R$4.54

13.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.18 R$11.98

35.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.61 R$19.83

2.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.94 R$5.16

40.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.87 R$10.26

-35.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.29 R$7.08

70.54%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.34 R$12.82

32.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.94 R$54.6

-12.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$4.57 R$25.08

50.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.71 R$53.3

-4.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.23 R$12.22

-17.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.57 R$8.64

24.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.46 R$8.00

13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.25 R$6.88

71.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.22 R$6.70

29.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.17 R$6.41

25.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.92 R$5.05

46.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.79 R$4.36

44.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$2.30 R$12.64

55.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.57 R$41.51

-20.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.45 R$7.96

-4.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.32 R$12.73

-6.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.94 R$5.16

48.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$42.69 R$234

42.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.13 R$6.23

-17.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.72 R$3.97

25.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$8.14 R$44.65

-39.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.25 R$6.86

23.20%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$21.3K R$117.1K

65.70%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$30.8K R$169.0K

8.32%

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

$117 R 1,929

$62.3 R$342

87.94%

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

$25.71 R 424

$13.64 R$74.9

88.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$21.05 R$116

87.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$24.58 R$135

109.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$25.72 R$141

-55.87%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.30 R$40.06

21.78%

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

$308 R 5,069

$415 R$2,279

-25.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$10.2K R$55.9K

-20.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$61.7 R$338

-6.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$53.9 R$296

-41.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$82.3 R$452

40.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$73.1 R$401

37.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$336 R$1,842

211.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$226 R$1,239

196.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$621 R$3,406

199.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$443 R$2,430

217.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,555 R$8,534

54.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,126 R$6,179

39.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$393 R$2,155

314.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

10.81

0.74%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Passos: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Passos

$226 25.5% 66.3% $443

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Passos

$203 22.9% 8.9% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Passos

$97 10.9% 46.8% $85

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Passos

$149 16.8% 14.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Passos

$122 13.7% 11.4% $16

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Passos

$51 5.8% 28.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Passos

$39 4.4% 43.5% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $336 in Passos. 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 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $34 in Passos. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $203 – making Passos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Passos

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

23:03 11:03 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

111,939

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Passos 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Passos

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 Passos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 72% more than Passos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. 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 $1,331 in Passos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Passos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $888 in Passos. That makes Passos about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Passos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Passos, where all-in costs run around $888, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Passos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $888 in Passos to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Passos. 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.