Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Rhodes

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $1,714 in Rhodes, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Rhodes despite lower rent and utilities.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Rhodes
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Rhodes Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Rhodes

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,714

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,714 in Rhodes, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Rhodes $1,714

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $2,673 in Rhodes, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Rhodes $2,673

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $3,632 in Rhodes, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Rhodes $3,632

Cape Town is about 7% cheaper than Rhodes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Rhodes sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Rhodes by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$18.38 €16.35

-33.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$66.9 €59.5

-32.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$9.50 €8.45

-38.11%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.40 €3.92

-43.18%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$2.53 €2.25

-49.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.93 €0.82

5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$5.36 €4.77

-44.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.86 €3.44

-3.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$2.16 €1.92

-39.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.80 €1.60

-30.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$5.14 €4.57

-56.61%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$6.40 €5.69

-51.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$16.31 €14.51

-44.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$11.35 €10.10

-39.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$18.09 €16.09

-48.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.19 €1.94

-15.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.15 €1.91

-8.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.54 €1.37

8.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.43 €2.17

-10.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.71 €1.52

-8.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.87 €1.66

-20.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.34 €1.19

-2.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.72 €0.64

56.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$5.08 €4.52

-29.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.90 €7.03

-22.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.62 €2.33

-47.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.68 €1.49

27.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$2.48 €2.21

-39.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$73.7 €65.6

-17.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$3.40 €3.03

-82.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.44 €1.28

4.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$10.98 €9.77

-53.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$2.13 €1.89

-27.23%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$28.4K €25.3K

27.42%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$26.1K €23.2K

19.87%

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

$114 R 1,883

$221 €197

-48.37%

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

$28.91 R 476

$26.02 €23.15

11.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$29.16 €25.94

36.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$60.8 €54.1

-19.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$39.00 €34.69

-71.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$8.76 €7.79

4.45%

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

$259 R 4,264

$476 €423

-45.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$9,017 €8,021

-24.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$152 €135

-63.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$33.70 €29.98

-3.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$113 €100

7.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$161 €143

-32.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$567 €504

80.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$438 €390

63.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,020 €907

78.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$777 €692

70.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$3,673 €3,267

-34.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$1,722 €1,532

-10.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$1,344 €1,196

21.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

4.53

142.16%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Rhodes: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Rhodes

$438 25.6% 38.9% $279

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Rhodes

$343 20% 52.5% $118

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Rhodes

$277 16.1% 51.2% $94

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Rhodes

$277 16.2% 57.1% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Rhodes

$207 12.1% 44.8% $64

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Rhodes

$94 5.5% 26% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Rhodes

$78 4.6% 16.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $567 in Rhodes. 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 22% higher in Cape Town, 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $67.0 in Rhodes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $343 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇷 Rhodes

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

56,128

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Rhodes 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Rhodes

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 Rhodes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rhodes costs about 8% 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $2,571 in Rhodes. 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. 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 $1,714 in Rhodes. That's a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Rhodes at $1,714. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rhodes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $1,714 in Rhodes. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Rhodes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.