Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Quatre Bornes

For one person, living is cheaper in Quatre Bornes: $797 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Quatre Bornes
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Quatre Bornes Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Quatre Bornes

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Quatre Bornes

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $797 in Quatre Bornes, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Quatre Bornes $797

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,263 in Quatre Bornes, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Quatre Bornes $1,263

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,729 in Quatre Bornes, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Quatre Bornes $1,729

Cape Town costs about 99% more than Quatre Bornes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Quatre Bornes is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$4.55 MUR 214

166.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$20.90 MUR 984

116.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.17 MUR 290

-4.70%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.45 MUR 116

2.04%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.87 MUR 41.11

45.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.51 MUR 23.97

92.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.62 MUR 123

14.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.29 MUR 155

13.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.25 MUR 58.8

4.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.53 MUR 25.12

135.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.11 MUR 52.2

100.90%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.87 MUR 88.3

66.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$2.88 MUR 136

214.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$3.75 MUR 177

84.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$8.26 MUR 389

12.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.76 MUR 130

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.61 MUR 123

-24.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.39 MUR 65.5

20.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.88 MUR 136

-24.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.01 MUR 47.61

55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.99 MUR 46.43

49.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.72 MUR 34.12

80.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.90 MUR 42.36

25.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.84 MUR 275

-38.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.53 MUR 402

-27.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.69 MUR 79.5

-18.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.25 MUR 106

-4.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.77 MUR 36.38

94.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.28 MUR 201

-86.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.23 MUR 152

-53.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$20.98 MUR 988

-75.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.38 MUR 65.1

12.32%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$18.9K MUR 889.3K

91.69%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$27.1K MUR 1.3M

15.48%

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

$114 R 1,883

$31.01 MUR 1,460

268.66%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.36 MUR 488

179.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$28.88 MUR 1,360

37.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$28.89 MUR 1,360

69.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$8.39 MUR 395

30.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.40 MUR 301

42.97%

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

$259 R 4,264

$119 MUR 5,606

117.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,744 MUR 364.6K

-12.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$75.9 MUR 3,571

-25.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$74.7 MUR 3,518

-56.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$118 MUR 5,542

2.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$77.3 MUR 3,641

39.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$310 MUR 14.6K

229.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$216 MUR 10.2K

231.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$667 MUR 31.4K

173.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$430 MUR 20.2K

208.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,148 MUR 54.0K

108.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$522 MUR 24.6K

213.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.67

64.47%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Quatre Bornes: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Quatre Bornes

$216 27.2% 69.8% $501

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Quatre Bornes

$180 22.6% 19.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Quatre Bornes

$70 8.8% 61.6% $113

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Quatre Bornes

$110 13.7% 37.8% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Quatre Bornes

$156 19.5% 8.9% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Quatre Bornes

$24 * 3% 68.6% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Quatre Bornes

$42 5.2% 38.1% $26

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 $310 in Quatre Bornes. 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 214% 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 $21.00 in Quatre Bornes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $180 – making Quatre Bornes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Quatre Bornes

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

23:30 11:30 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

81,773

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Quatre Bornes 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Quatre Bornes

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 Quatre Bornes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 99% more than Quatre Bornes, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,195 in Quatre Bornes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quatre Bornes, 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 $797 in Quatre Bornes. That's a gap of about 99%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $119 in Quatre Bornes. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Quatre Bornes, where all-in costs run around $797, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Quatre Bornes 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. Quatre Bornes costs $797 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 Quatre Bornes. 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.