Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,216 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Port Elizabeth

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,216 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Port Elizabeth $1,216

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,835 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Port Elizabeth $1,835

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,453 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Port Elizabeth $2,453

Cape Town costs about 30% more than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Port Elizabeth is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$11.00 R 181

10.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$41.67 R 687

8.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$5.84 R 96.2

0.68%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.17 R 35.81

15.21%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.03 R 16.91

23.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.76 R 12.59

28.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.69 R 44.37

11.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.24 R 53.3

14.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.12 R 18.39

16.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.04 R 17.20

20.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.51 R 24.94

47.68%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.81 R 46.35

10.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.58 R 141

5.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.33 R 87.7

29.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.36 R 138

11.24%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.19 R 36.04

-15.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.49 R 24.58

31.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.70 R 28.04

-1.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.81 R 29.74

19.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.66 R 27.41

-5.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.45 R 23.83

2.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.26 R 20.72

3.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.99 R 16.39

14.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.26 R 53.8

10.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$4.82 R 79.4

27.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.27 R 20.99

8.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.82 R 30.00

17.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.10 R 18.17

36.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$36.67 R 604

65.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$2.04 R 33.68

-71.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.50 R 8.25

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$8.45 R 139

-39.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.48 R 24.38

4.73%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.8K R 589.5K

1.19%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$34.1K R 562.5K

-8.48%

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

$114 R 1,883

$125 R 2,058

-8.49%

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

$28.91 R 476

$34.90 R 575

-17.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$44.55 R 734

-10.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$32.20 R 530

52.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$23.27 R 383

-52.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$10.74 R 177

-14.80%

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

$259 R 4,264

$177 R 2,924

45.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$6,046 R 99.6K

12.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$72.4 R 1,193

-22.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$38.28 R 631

-15.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$110 R 1,806

9.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$95.6 R 1,574

13.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$598 R 9,859

70.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$415 R 6,838

72.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$808 R 13.3K

125.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$682 R 11.2K

94.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$764 R 12.6K

212.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$522 R 8,604

195.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,625 R 26.8K

0.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.94

-8.12%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Port Elizabeth

$415 34.1% 42.1% $302

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 12.6% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Port Elizabeth

$204 16.8% 11.7% $21

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Port Elizabeth

$159 13.1% 9.9% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Port Elizabeth

$46 3.8% 39% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Port Elizabeth

$54 4.4% 20.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $598 in Port Elizabeth. 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 1% 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 $42.00 in Port Elizabeth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $197 – making Port Elizabeth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,050,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Port Elizabeth 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Port Elizabeth

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 Port Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 30% more than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,824 in Port Elizabeth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Elizabeth, 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 $1,216 in Port Elizabeth. That's a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Port Elizabeth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Elizabeth, where all-in costs run around $1,216, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Port Elizabeth 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. Port Elizabeth costs $1,216 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 Port Elizabeth. 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.