Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Rapperswil

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,556 a month against $3,330 in Rapperswil, rent and utilities included – about $21,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
161

Cost of Living Index in Rapperswil
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Rapperswil Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Rapperswil

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,330

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $3,330 in Rapperswil, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Rapperswil $3,330

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $5,029 in Rapperswil, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Rapperswil $5,029

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $6,729 in Rapperswil, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Rapperswil $6,729

Cape Town is about 53% cheaper than Rapperswil, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Rapperswil sit above the global median – Cape Town by 14%, Rapperswil by 145%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$23.80 CHF 19.74

-49.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$95.5 CHF 79.3

-53.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$16.02 CHF 13.29

-61.61%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$6.08 CHF 5.04

-61.18%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$4.70 CHF 3.90

-73.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$4.82 CHF 4.00

-79.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$8.65 CHF 7.17

-64.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$6.00 CHF 4.98

-38.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$2.14 CHF 1.78

-37.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$3.39 CHF 2.81

-64.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$4.35 CHF 3.61

-51.72%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$7.80 CHF 6.47

-60.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$26.76 CHF 22.20

-67.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$26.19 CHF 21.73

-73.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$40.71 CHF 33.77

-76.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$3.60 CHF 2.99

-47.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$2.15 CHF 1.79

-12.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$2.62 CHF 2.17

-35.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$4.81 CHF 3.99

-57.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$2.04 CHF 1.69

-23.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$2.19 CHF 1.82

-32.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$2.32 CHF 1.92

-44.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$1.37 CHF 1.14

-13.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$10.74 CHF 8.91

-66.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$13.18 CHF 10.94

-53.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$2.25 CHF 1.87

-38.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$3.44 CHF 2.86

-36.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$4.37 CHF 3.62

-68.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

$100.0 CHF 82.9

-38.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$7.56 CHF 6.27

-92.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$4.97 CHF 4.13

-70.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$88.3 CHF 73.3

-94.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$2.17 CHF 1.80

-27.19%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$39.6K CHF 32.8K

-12.26%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$38.9K CHF 32.3K

-12.29%

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

$117 R 1,948

$237 CHF 196

-50.58%

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

$28.35 R 472

$31.70 CHF 26.30

-10.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$65.1 CHF 54.0

-37.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$88.7 CHF 73.6

-45.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$45.22 CHF 37.52

-76.12%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$21.76 CHF 18.05

-58.13%

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

$302 R 5,032

$2,879 CHF 2,389

-89.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$43.7K CHF 36.3K

-84.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$141 CHF 117

-60.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$88.1 CHF 73.0

-62.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$149 CHF 124

-20.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$174 CHF 144

-40.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$1,769 CHF 1,468

-41.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$1,478 CHF 1,226

-53.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$2,984 CHF 2,475

-33.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$2,524 CHF 2,094

-45.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$16.6K CHF 13.7K

-85.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$12.6K CHF 10.5K

-87.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

1.72

537.79%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Rapperswil: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Rapperswil

$1.5K 44.4% 114% $787

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Rapperswil

$583 17.5% 161% $360

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Rapperswil

$333 10% 79.4% $148

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Rapperswil

$405 12.2% 131% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Rapperswil

$248 7.5% 78.2% $109

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Rapperswil

$150 4.5% 101% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Rapperswil

$132 4% 98% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $1,769 in Rapperswil. 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 $44 in Cape Town versus $96 in Rapperswil. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $583 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇭 Rapperswil

🕒 Local time

15:57 3:57 PM

14:57 2:57 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

26,354

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.923 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Rapperswil 9,070 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Rapperswil

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 Rapperswil: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rapperswil costs about 114% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $4,995 in Rapperswil. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,041 there versus $1,769 in Rapperswil.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $3,330 in Rapperswil. That’s a gap of about 114%.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,556 in Cape Town and $3,330 in Rapperswil. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Cape Town is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 114% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.