Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Port Shepstone

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Shepstone: $1,058 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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 Port Shepstone
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Port Shepstone Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Port Shepstone

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $987 in Port Shepstone, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Port Shepstone $987

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,540 in Port Shepstone, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Port Shepstone $1,540

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $2,093 in Port Shepstone, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Port Shepstone $2,093

Cape Town costs about 62% more than Port Shepstone, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Port Shepstone is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$7.68 R 127

57.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$38.93 R 641

19.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$6.06 R 99.8

2.31%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.72 R 44.89

-8.09%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$1.11 R 18.28

21.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.85 R 13.98

17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$2.46 R 40.54

24.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$2.61 R 42.96

40.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$0.89 R 14.70

46.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.71 R 11.74

78.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.20 R 19.80

80.83%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$1.50 R 24.68

106.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$7.14 R 118

25.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$3.63 R 59.8

92.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$7.22 R 119

33.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.19 R 19.63

57.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$0.72 R 11.85

168.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$0.62 R 10.27

185.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$1.55 R 25.49

40.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.60 R 9.83

153.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$1.46 R 24.11

6.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.92 R 15.18

43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.59 R 9.64

94.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.73 R 61.5

-0.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$4.73 R 78.0

27.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.48 R 24.39

-9.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.95 R 32.05

9.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.72 R 28.37

-9.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$0.41 R 6.78

46.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.75 R 12.42

105.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$7.83 R 129

-36.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.33 R 21.86

20.30%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$34.9K R 575.0K

1.47%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$33.1K R 544.9K

4.76%

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

$119 R 1,955

$123 R 2,025

-3.50%

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

$29.42 R 485

$18.38 R 303

60.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$37.21 R 613

6.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$31.90 R 526

59.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$9.48 R 156

15.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$7.50 R 124

19.87%

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

$261 R 4,303

$314 R 5,180

-16.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$7,567 R 124.7K

-7.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$54.0 R 889

4.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$30.29 R 499

9.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$100 R 1,653

20.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$84.3 R 1,389

28.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$426 R 7,013

141.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$418 R 6,887

72.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$634 R 10.5K

189.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$729 R 12.0K

86.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$927 R 15.3K

159.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$775 R 12.8K

94.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$3,033 R 50.0K

-45.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.78

-6.88%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Port Shepstone: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Port Shepstone

$418 39.5% 41.9% $302

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Port Shepstone

$145 13.7% 36% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Port Shepstone

$179 16.9% 5% $9.3

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Port Shepstone

$138 13% 22.3% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Port Shepstone

$121 11.4% 15.6% $22

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Port Shepstone

$11 * 1.1% 85.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Port Shepstone

$47 4.4% 31.8% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $386 in Port Shepstone. 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 83% higher in Port Shepstone, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $39.00 in Port Shepstone. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $143 – making Port Shepstone the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Port Shepstone

🕒 Local time

12:08 12:08 PM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

52,793

💱 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 Shepstone 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Port Shepstone

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 Shepstone: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 62% more than Port Shepstone, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $1,481 in Port Shepstone. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Shepstone, 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 $1,599 in Cape Town and $987 in Port Shepstone. That's a gap of about 62%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $305 in Port Shepstone. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Shepstone, where all-in costs run around $987, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Port Shepstone 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 Shepstone costs $987 versus $1,599 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 Shepstone. 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.