Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Rustenburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $797 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$797

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $797 in Rustenburg, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Rustenburg $797

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $1,316 in Rustenburg, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Rustenburg $1,316

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,834 in Rustenburg, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Rustenburg $1,834

Cape Town costs about 95% more than Rustenburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while Rustenburg is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$4.87 R 81.3

148.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 741

$45.11 R 754

-1.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 103

$6.22 R 104

-1.13%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.41

$1.66 R 27.75

42.17%

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

$1.26 R 21.12

$1.02 R 17.03

23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.63

$0.50 R 8.38

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.5

$1.48 R 24.77

108.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.8

$2.13 R 35.57

73.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.47

$1.03 R 17.19

30.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.94

$0.90 R 15.00

32.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.11

$1.70 R 28.40

23.53%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.9

$2.61 R 43.60

16.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$7.57 R 127

15.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$5.04 R 84.3

38.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$6.28 R 105

49.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.52

$1.78 R 29.73

6.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.40

$1.57 R 26.20

19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.15

$1.80 R 30.00

-6.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.16

$1.07 R 17.94

90.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.19

$1.31 R 21.94

19.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.72

$1.08 R 18.12

37.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.42

$1.34 R 22.34

-4.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.87

$0.86 R 14.34

38.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.6

$3.07 R 51.2

18.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$6.02 R 101

2.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.20

$0.59 R 9.80

135.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.42

$0.92 R 15.34

136.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.89

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,024

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.60

$0.81 R 13.60

-29.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.68

$0.89 R 14.86

66.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.8

$14.27 R 238

-65.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.36

$1.45 R 24.16

8.97%

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

$34.7K R 579.9K

$31.6K R 527.3K

9.98%

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

$34.1K R 569.7K

$31.7K R 529.2K

7.66%

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

$117 R 1,953

$76.1 R 1,271

53.72%

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

$28.35 R 474

$13.47 R 225

110.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 678

$37.07 R 619

9.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 811

$38.12 R 637

27.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 181

$6.11 R 102

76.76%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$4.90 R 81.9

85.92%

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

$302 R 5,045

$110 R 1,842

173.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.3K

$5,453 R 91.1K

23.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 923

$41.73 R 697

32.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 546

$44.31 R 740

-26.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,970

$112 R 1,863

5.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,736

$53.3 R 890

95.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.4K

$336 R 5,614

209.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$237 R 3,955

191.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.1K

$716 R 12.0K

176.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.2K

$515 R 8,609

169.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

$1,065 R 17.8K

47.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

9.9

10.81%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Rustenburg: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Rustenburg

$237 29.7% 65.7% $454

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Rustenburg

$173 21.7% 22.8% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Rustenburg

$127 15.9% 31.9% $59

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Rustenburg

$95 12% 45.7% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Rustenburg

$113 14.2% 19% $27

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Rustenburg

$5.3 * 0.7% 93% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Rustenburg

$48 6% 28.2% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $336 in Rustenburg. 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 48% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $45 in Rustenburg. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Cape Town vs $173 in Rustenburg – so Rustenburg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

549,575

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Rustenburg 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Rustenburg

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 Rustenburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 95% more than Rustenburg, 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 $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $1,196 in Rustenburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rustenburg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $797 in Rustenburg. That makes Rustenburg about 49% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Cape Town, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Rustenburg, where all-in costs run around $797, than in Cape Town at $1,556. In Rustenburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Rustenburg. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.