Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sal

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $857 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Sal
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Sal Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$857

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $857 in Sal, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Sal $857

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,347 in Sal, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Sal $1,347

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,836 in Sal, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Sal $1,836

Cape Town costs about 83% more than Sal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sal is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$5.71 CVE 562

106.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$46.45 CVE 4,571

0.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$11.40 CVE 1,122

-47.72%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$2.27 CVE 223

8.81%

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

$1.33 R 22.03

$2.69 CVE 265

-50.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$1.15 CVE 113

-10.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

$4.50 CVE 443

-33.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

$3.14 CVE 309

16.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$1.61 CVE 159

-13.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$2.21 CVE 218

-46.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$1.21 CVE 119

74.38%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$2.98 CVE 293

1.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$9.52 CVE 936

-5.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$7.63 CVE 751

-12.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$16.54 CVE 1,628

-43.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$3.27 CVE 322

-44.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$2.42 CVE 238

-21.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$3.26 CVE 321

-46.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$4.03 CVE 396

-48.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$1.74 CVE 172

-10.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$1.89 CVE 186

-21.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$1.57 CVE 155

-17.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$1.16 CVE 114

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$4.54 CVE 447

-18.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$6.82 CVE 671

-11.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

$4.01 CVE 395

-65.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

$1.86 CVE 183

18.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$1.05 CVE 103

43.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

$2.09 CVE 206

-69.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

$3.17 CVE 312

-51.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$12.72 CVE 1,252

-62.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$1.34 CVE 132

17.91%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

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

$116 R 1,930

$62.3 CVE 6,132

86.78%

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

$28.37 R 471

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

$50.3 CVE 4,945

-19.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$28.27 CVE 2,782

72.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$261 R 4,336

$115 CVE 11.3K

127.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$30.89 CVE 3,040

79.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$144 CVE 14.2K

-25.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$260 CVE 25.6K

290.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

$172 CVE 17.0K

315.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

$304 CVE 29.9K

493.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

$208 CVE 20.5K

539.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

$672 CVE 66.1K

246.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

$341 CVE 33.5K

343.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$254 CVE 25.0K

544.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.25

108.95%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sal: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Sal

$172 19.9% 75.9% $543

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Sal

$302 34.8% 35.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Sal

$113 * 13% 39.3% $73

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Sal

$151 17.4% 12.9% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Sal

$79 * 9.1% 44% $62

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Sal

$22 * 2.6% 70.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sal

$28 * 3.3% 57.5% $38

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 $260 in Sal. 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 544% 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 $47.00 in Cape Town versus $46.00 in Sal. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Cape Town vs $302 in Sal – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇻 Sal

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

04:15 4:15 AM

3 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,288

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, 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 = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.4 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Sal 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sal

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 Sal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 83% more than Sal, 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 $1,286 in Sal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sal, 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 $857 in Sal. That's a gap of about 83%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $115 in Sal. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sal, where all-in costs run around $857, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Sal 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. Sal costs $857 versus $1,568 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 Sal. 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.