Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Saint-Denis

Name: Saint-Denis
Address: Saint-Denis, RE

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,800 in Saint-Denis, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

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

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Denis
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Saint-Denis Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Saint-Denis

🇷🇪 Reunion

$1,800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Saint-Denis

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 Saint-Denis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,800 in Saint-Denis, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Saint-Denis $1,800

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $3,171 in Saint-Denis, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Saint-Denis $3,171

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $4,543 in Saint-Denis, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Saint-Denis $4,543

Cape Town is about 13% cheaper than Saint-Denis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Saint-Denis sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Saint-Denis by 34%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$13.56 €12.10

-13.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$79.0 €70.5

-41.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$15.63 €13.95

-61.87%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$3.54 €3.16

-30.23%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$2.58 €2.31

-48.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$2.50 €2.23

-58.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$3.44 €3.07

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$4.65 €4.15

-21.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.70 €1.52

-18.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.96 €2.64

-28.72%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$4.51 €4.03

-33.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$20.10 €17.94

-55.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$13.24 €11.81

-49.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$33.24 €29.66

-72.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$5.45 €4.87

-61.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$4.51 €4.02

-66.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$2.30 €2.05

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$1.90 €1.70

-38.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$11.39 €10.17

-67.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$12.55 €11.20

-51.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$3.30 €2.94

-57.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$3.41 €3.04

-35.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$2.54 €2.26

-40.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$43.40 €38.73

40.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.87 €1.67

-15.51%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$116 R 1,920

$146 €130

-20.25%

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

$28.37 R 468

$17.61 €15.72

61.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$43.07 €38.44

-5.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$36.35 €32.44

34.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$13.43 €11.98

-17.13%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$11.11 €9.91

-20.52%

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$148 €132

-62.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$125 €112

-5.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$114 €102

-5.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$918 €820

10.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$657 €586

8.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$1,534 €1,369

17.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$1,951 €1,741

-31.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$2,054 €1,833

-20.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Saint-Denis: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Saint-Denis

$657 36.8% 8.2% $59

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Saint-Denis

$390 * 21.9% 75.3% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Saint-Denis

$207 11.6% 11.4% $21

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Saint-Denis

$245 13.7% 40.9% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Saint-Denis

$174 * 9.8% 23.8% $33

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Saint-Denis

$54 * 3% 28.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Saint-Denis

$59 3.3% 11.9% $7.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $918 in Saint-Denis. 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 26% higher in Saint-Denis, 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $79.0 in Saint-Denis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $390 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇷🇪 Saint-Denis

🕒 Local time

13:22 1:22 PM

15:22 3:22 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

154,765 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Saint-Denis 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Saint-Denis

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 Saint-Denis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint-Denis costs about 15% 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $2,699 in Saint-Denis. 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $1,800 in Saint-Denis. That's a gap of about 15%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town and $79.0 in Saint-Denis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Saint-Denis at $1,800. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint-Denis it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,800 in Saint-Denis. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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