Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Pec

For one person, living is cheaper in Pec: $672 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Pec
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Pec Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Pec

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $672 in Pec, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Pec $672

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,087 in Pec, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Pec $1,087

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,502 in Pec, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Pec $1,502

Cape Town costs about 127% more than Pec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Pec is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$5.56 €4.95

116.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$22.56 €20.10

90.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$4.38 €3.90

40.41%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$1.37 €1.22

72.99%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$1.59 €1.42

-20.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$1.03 €0.92

-8.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$1.91 €1.70

54.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$2.80 €2.50

31.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.31 €1.16

0.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$0.69 €0.61

75.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$1.34 €1.19

64.18%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$1.81 €1.61

71.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$7.87 €7.01

10.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$6.66 €5.94

3.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$12.58 €11.21

-26.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$1.44 €1.28

27.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$1.48 €1.32

31.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.15 €1.02

44.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$1.71 €1.52

25.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$0.91 €0.81

73.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$0.81 €0.72

81.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$0.83 €0.74

62.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$0.50 €0.44

128.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$2.77 €2.47

29.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$5.47 €4.87

10.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$0.83 €0.74

67.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$1.20 €1.07

81.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$2.28 €2.03

-59.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$0.54 €0.48

66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$3.32 €2.96

49.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.47 €1.31

4.76%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$22.2K €19.8K

59.14%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$26.0K €23.1K

28.59%

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

$117 R 1,918

$105 €93.2

11.94%

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

$25.71 R 421

$11.06 €9.85

132.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$23.37 €20.82

68.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$22.62 €20.15

128.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$33.86 €30.16

-66.48%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$4.39 €3.91

102.51%

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

$308 R 5,040

$149 €132

107.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$2,997 €2,669

171.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$42.54 €37.89

34.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$27.98 €24.93

13.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$63.4 €56.5

82.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$80.5 €71.7

25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$170 €152

514.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$113 €101

492.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$338 €301

450.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$278 €247

406.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$1,246 €1,110

93.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$1,042 €928

50.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

$477 €425

241.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

4.5

142.00%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Pec: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Pec

$113 16.8% 83.1% $556

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Pec

$188 27.9% 16% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Pec

$139 20.7% 23.7% $43

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Pec

$100 14.8% 42.7% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Pec

$97 14.4% 29.9% $41

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Pec

$5 * 0.7% 93.1% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Pec

$31 4.7% 54.7% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $170 in Pec. 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 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $23 in Pec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $188 – making Pec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇽🇰 Pec

🕒 Local time

20:30 8:30 PM

19:30 7:30 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

48,962

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Pec 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Pec

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 Pec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 127% more than Pec, 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 $1,008 in Pec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pec, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $170 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $672 in Pec. That makes Pec about 56% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $149 in Pec. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Pec, where all-in costs run around $672, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Pec it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pec – 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 Pec. 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.