Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Saint-Louis

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Louis: $830 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Louis
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Saint-Louis Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Saint-Louis

🇸🇳 Senegal

$830

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $830 in Saint-Louis, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Saint-Louis $830

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,322 in Saint-Louis, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Saint-Louis $1,322

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,815 in Saint-Louis, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Saint-Louis $1,815

Cape Town costs about 89% more than Saint-Louis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Saint-Louis is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$3.50 F CFA 2,047

236.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$52.7 F CFA 30.8K

-11.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$11.15 F CFA 6,522

-46.55%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$3.35 F CFA 1,963

-26.27%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.25 F CFA 729

6.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.87 F CFA 509

18.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.75 F CFA 1,026

72.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$4.37 F CFA 2,555

-16.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$2.49 F CFA 1,459

-44.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$0.27 F CFA 159

340.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.68 F CFA 981

25.60%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.45 F CFA 1,432

22.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$17.14 F CFA 10.0K

-47.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$8.75 F CFA 5,122

-24.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$11.00 F CFA 6,438

-15.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$3.12 F CFA 1,828

-41.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.95 F CFA 1,143

-2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$2.86 F CFA 1,672

-38.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.73 F CFA 1,011

20.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.35 F CFA 788

14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.98 F CFA 574

52.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.08 F CFA 630

20.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.70 F CFA 410

65.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$2.12 F CFA 1,242

75.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$16.91 F CFA 9,895

-64.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.53 F CFA 895

-9.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$3.37 F CFA 1,970

-34.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.89 F CFA 523

-29.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$2.12 F CFA 1,243

-27.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$17.34 F CFA 10.1K

-72.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.70 F CFA 992

-7.06%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$50.9K F CFA 29.8M

-30.24%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$48.6K F CFA 28.4M

-34.65%

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

$116 R 1,920

$206 F CFA 120.8K

-43.63%

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

$28.37 R 468

$11.46 F CFA 6,707

147.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$46.89 F CFA 27.4K

-13.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$8.64 F CFA 5,053

2.20%

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

$261 R 4,314

$320 F CFA 187.0K

-18.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$10.4K F CFA 6.1M

-35.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$58.8 F CFA 34.4K

-5.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$45.28 F CFA 26.5K

-28.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$85.6 F CFA 50.1K

37.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$95.0 F CFA 55.6K

12.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$435 F CFA 254.5K

133.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

8.75

25.37%

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-Louis: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Saint-Louis

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Saint-Louis

$287 34.3% 28.9% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Saint-Louis

$265 31.7% 42.8% $79

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Saint-Louis

$128 15.3% 26.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Saint-Louis

$128 15.3% 8.8% $12

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Saint-Louis

$12 * 1.4% 84.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Saint-Louis

$17 * 2.1% 74% $49

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 $435 in Saint-Louis. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $53.0 in Saint-Louis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $287 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇳 Saint-Louis

🕒 Local time

14:15 2:15 PM

12:15 12:15 PM

2 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

176,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR 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).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Saint-Louis 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Saint-Louis

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-Louis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 89% more than Saint-Louis, 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 $1,245 in Saint-Louis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint-Louis, 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 $830 in Saint-Louis. That's a gap of about 89%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $320 in Saint-Louis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Saint-Louis, where all-in costs run around $830, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Saint-Louis 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. Saint-Louis costs $830 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Saint-Louis. 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.