Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Quellón

For one person, living is cheaper in Quellón: $563 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Quellón

🇨🇱 Chile

$563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $563 in Quellón, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Quellón $563

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $946 in Quellón, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Quellón $946

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,330 in Quellón, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Quellón $1,330

Cape Town costs about 171% more than Quellón, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Quellón is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$50.6 CLP 49.4K

-15.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.48 CLP 2,423

-4.44%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.21 CLP 1,180

4.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.86 CLP 837

9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$3.01 CLP 2,945

-1.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.99 CLP 2,926

23.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.19 CLP 1,168

10.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.00 CLP 977

21.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$2.03 CLP 1,984

8.37%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.78 CLP 2,722

11.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$6.17 CLP 6,028

41.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.82 CLP 1,784

0.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.27 CLP 2,218

-14.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$3.60 CLP 3,516

-53.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.83 CLP 1,787

16.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.01 CLP 983

56.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.03 CLP 1,985

-27.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.05 CLP 1,027

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$2.06 CLP 2,019

-44.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$9.01 CLP 8,808

-32.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$2.79 CLP 2,732

-50.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.82 CLP 1,782

19.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.48 CLP 472

191.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$3.09 CLP 3,025

-69.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.29 CLP 1,266

19.38%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

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

$117 R 1,929

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

$25.71 R 424

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$31.18 CLP 30.5K

26.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$50.2 CLP 49.1K

2.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

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

$308 R 5,069

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$25.84 CLP 25.3K

122.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$51.0 CLP 49.8K

127.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$256 CLP 250.5K

308.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$206 CLP 201.0K

225.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$409 CLP 399.5K

355.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$364 CLP 355.7K

286.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Quellón: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Quellón

–

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Quellón

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Quellón

–

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Quellón

–

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Quellón

–

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Quellón

–

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Quellón

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $256 in Quellón. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $51 in Quellón. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Cape Town vs $178 in Quellón – so Quellón wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇱 Quellón

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

17,552

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Chilean Peso CLP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 CLP = 10.23 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CLP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 978 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,098 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.11 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Quellón 7,660 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Quellón

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 Quellón: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 171% more than Quellón, 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 $845 in Quellón. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quellón, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $256 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $563 in Quellón. That makes Quellón about 63% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Cape Town, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Quellón, where all-in costs run around $563, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Quellón it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $563 in Quellón to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.