Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Richards Bay Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Richards Bay

😐 Solo nomad: Cape Town is 24.4% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 23.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Cape Town is 38.4% more expensive than Richards Bay without rent, and 28.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.06 R 180

$7.78 R 127

42.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.39 R 740

$28.10 R 458

61.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 R 82.9

$5.00 R 81.6

1.80%

Cappuccino

$2.08 R 33.88

$1.99 R 32.42

4.52%

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

$1.16 R 18.97

$0.92 R 15.03

26.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R 14.55

$0.71 R 11.62

25.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.84 R 46.27

$1.41 R 23.06

101.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 39.90

$1.66 R 27.09

47.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 R 17.88

$0.96 R 15.64

14.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 17.86

$0.93 R 15.12

18.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.85

$1.47 R 23.94

24.49%

Eggs

$2.50 R 40.77

$2.17 R 35.40

15.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.65 R 141

$7.49 R 122

15.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.06 R 82.5

$4.45 R 72.5

13.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.58 R 124

$5.54 R 90.2

36.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.61

$1.52 R 24.76

3.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 R 23.04

$1.42 R 23.19

-0.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.51

$1.37 R 22.34

9.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R 24.94

$1.29 R 21.07

18.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.69

$1.14 R 18.50

-4.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.27

$1.04 R 17.03

13.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 R 17.27

$0.98 R 15.94

8.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.09

$0.96 R 15.64

3.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.11 R 50.6

$2.40 R 39.10

29.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.36 R 104

$4.99 R 81.4

27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R 22.31

$1.45 R 23.64

-5.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 28.60

$1.75 R 28.57

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R 14.94

$1.68 R 27.37

-45.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.28 R 787

$94.9 R 1,547

-49.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 R 22.45

$1.70 R 27.68

-18.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 R 15.16

$0.61 R 10.02

52.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 R 71.2

$6.68 R 109

-34.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R 19.56

$1.28 R 20.82

-6.25%

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

$21.6K R 351.9K

$19.8K R 322.6K

9.09%

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

$24.0K R 391.3K

$24.3K R 396.1K

-1.22%

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

$101 R 1,654

$130 R 2,122

-22.08%

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

$32.97 R 537

$29.20 R 476

12.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.85 R 666

$34.07 R 555

19.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.59 R 694

$32.12 R 524

32.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.89 R 129

$4.59 R 74.8

71.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.62 R 108

$6.58 R 107

0.61%

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

$213 R 3,469

$92.5 R 1,507

130.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,331 R 86.9K

$2,448 R 39.9K

117.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 R 890

$42.71 R 696

27.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.27 R 542

$18.78 R 306

77.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,866

$86.3 R 1,407

32.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 R 1,369

$72.0 R 1,174

16.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$767 R 12.5K

$385 R 6,282

98.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 R 8,551

$289 R 4,704

81.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 R 23.5K

$828 R 13.5K

74.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 R 16.4K

$596 R 9,715

69.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,240 R 36.5K

$772 R 12.6K

190.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,451 R 23.6K

$614 R 10.0K

136.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,707 R 27.8K

$1,105 R 18.0K

54.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.77

12.01

-2.00%

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

Last update for Cape Town: April 14, 2026

Last update for Richards Bay: April 12, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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