Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Rose Belle

For one person, living is cheaper in Rose Belle: $611 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Rose Belle
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Rose Belle Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Rose Belle

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Rose Belle

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $611 in Rose Belle, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Rose Belle $611

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $993 in Rose Belle, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Rose Belle $993

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,375 in Rose Belle, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Rose Belle $1,375

Cape Town costs about 160% more than Rose Belle, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Rose Belle is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$5.84 MUR 275

107.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$24.04 MUR 1,132

88.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.41 MUR 349

-20.65%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.56 MUR 73.2

60.26%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.10 MUR 51.7

15.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.44 MUR 20.80

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.41 MUR 114

24.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$4.72 MUR 222

-21.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.55 MUR 73.1

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.77 MUR 36.49

62.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.10 MUR 52.0

102.73%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.58 MUR 121

20.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$5.32 MUR 251

70.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.41 MUR 302

7.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.39 MUR 536

-18.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.77 MUR 130

-33.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$2.57 MUR 121

-23.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.39 MUR 65.3

20.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$2.99 MUR 141

-27.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.94 MUR 44.38

67.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.98 MUR 46.17

51.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.74 MUR 34.88

75.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.89 MUR 41.93

26.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$6.61 MUR 311

-45.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$8.59 MUR 404

-28.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.64 MUR 77.0

-15.85%

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

$0.91 MUR 42.71

64.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$4.15 MUR 195

-85.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$3.21 MUR 151

-53.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$21.26 MUR 1,001

-75.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.35 MUR 63.6

14.81%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$36.3K MUR 1.7M

-0.28%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.6K MUR 1.4M

2.19%

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

$114 R 1,883

$44.26 MUR 2,084

158.29%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.56 MUR 497

173.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$28.85 MUR 1,358

37.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.29 MUR 296

45.47%

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

$259 R 4,264

$129 MUR 6,060

101.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$7,669 MUR 361.0K

-11.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$77.5 MUR 3,648

-27.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$73.8 MUR 3,476

-56.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$121 MUR 5,709

-0.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$76.7 MUR 3,612

40.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

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 Rose Belle: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Rose Belle

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Rose Belle

$218 35.7% 3% $6.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Rose Belle

$84 13.7% 54.3% $99

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Rose Belle

$115 18.9% 34.6% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Rose Belle

$157 25.7% 10.1% $14

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Rose Belle

$24 * 3.9% 68.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Rose Belle

$13 * 2.1% 81.3% $55

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $24.00 in Rose Belle. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $218 – making Rose Belle the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Rose Belle

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

22:31 10:31 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

12,000

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Rose Belle 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Rose Belle

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 Rose Belle: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 160% more than Rose Belle, 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 $916 in Rose Belle. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $611 in Rose Belle. That's a gap of about 160%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $129 in Rose Belle. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rose Belle, where all-in costs run around $611, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Rose Belle 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. Rose Belle costs $611 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 Rose Belle. 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.