Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Phoenix

For one person, living is cheaper in Phoenix: $823 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Phoenix
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Phoenix Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Phoenix

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $823 in Phoenix, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Phoenix $823

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,303 in Phoenix, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Phoenix $1,303

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,783 in Phoenix, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Phoenix $1,783

Cape Town costs about 93% more than Phoenix, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Phoenix is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$2.12 MUR 99.7

472.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$31.62 MUR 1,489

43.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.31 MUR 344

-19.56%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$5.18 MUR 244

-51.74%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.60 MUR 28.29

111.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.55 MUR 25.79

78.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.05 MUR 96.4

45.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$5.29 MUR 249

-29.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.44 MUR 68.0

-9.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.40 MUR 19.01

212.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$2.16 MUR 101

3.24%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$4.91 MUR 231

-36.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$8.21 MUR 387

-15.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$6.45 MUR 304

44.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$7.50 MUR 353

-75.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$3.88 MUR 183

-49.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$4.58 MUR 215

-63.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.49 MUR 70.0

45.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.85 MUR 40.12

84.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.86 MUR 40.69

72.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.72 MUR 34.03

80.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.76 MUR 35.76

48.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$10.39 MUR 489

-40.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.04 MUR 95.9

-32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.08 MUR 50.7

38.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$10.33 MUR 486

488.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.46 MUR 68.7

2.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.33 MUR 62.5

16.54%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

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

$114 R 1,883

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

$28.91 R 476

$14.01 MUR 659

106.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$24.77 MUR 1,166

60.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$25.58 MUR 1,204

91.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.21 MUR 245

75.62%

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

$259 R 4,264

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$53.3 MUR 2,511

5.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$52.7 MUR 2,481

-38.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$526 MUR 24.8K

94.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$311 MUR 14.6K

130.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$831 MUR 39.1K

119.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$535 MUR 25.2K

147.81%

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

$959 MUR 45.1K

70.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

119.40%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Phoenix: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Phoenix

$311 37.8% 56.6% $406

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Phoenix

$241 * 29.3% 7.1% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Phoenix

$39 * 4.7% 78.8% $144

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Phoenix

$126 15.4% 28.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Phoenix

$48 * 5.8% 66.6% $95

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Phoenix

$22 * 2.7% 70.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Phoenix

$36 4.4% 46.5% $31

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 $526 in Phoenix. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 71% 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 $32.00 in Phoenix. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $241 in Phoenix – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Phoenix

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

17:58 5:58 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

115,289

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, 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).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Phoenix 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Phoenix

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 Phoenix: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 93% more than Phoenix, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,234 in Phoenix. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phoenix, 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 $823 in Phoenix. That's a gap of about 93%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town and $32.00 in Phoenix. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Phoenix, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Phoenix 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. Phoenix costs $823 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Phoenix. 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.