Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sale

For one person, living is cheaper in Sale: $635 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Sale

🇲🇦 Morocco

$635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $635 in Sale, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Sale $635

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,044 in Sale, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Sale $1,044

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,453 in Sale, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Sale $1,453

Cape Town costs about 150% more than Sale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Sale is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.63 MAD 35.42

234.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$17.82 MAD 174

154.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$7.19 MAD 70.1

-18.22%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.76 MAD 17.20

42.05%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.60 MAD 5.81

111.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.32 MAD 3.16

206.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.63 MAD 25.63

13.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.05 MAD 29.76

21.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.90 MAD 8.77

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.65 MAD 6.36

92.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.90 MAD 18.57

17.37%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.86 MAD 18.10

67.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$11.31 MAD 110

-19.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$6.89 MAD 67.2

0.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$12.38 MAD 121

-24.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.34 MAD 13.05

37.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.18 MAD 11.48

66.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.84 MAD 8.23

98.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.90 MAD 8.76

141.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.68 MAD 6.62

130.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.73 MAD 7.15

102.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.47 MAD 4.58

176.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.62 MAD 6.03

82.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.75 MAD 36.51

-4.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$4.74 MAD 46.23

29.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.23 MAD 21.75

-38.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.13 MAD 20.81

0.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.55 MAD 5.32

172.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$23.03 MAD 225

163.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.69 MAD 6.78

-14.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.50 MAD 4.85

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$4.03 MAD 39.30

26.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.48 MAD 14.46

4.73%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$31.0K MAD 301.9K

16.91%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$30.8K MAD 300.4K

1.41%

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

$114 R 1,883

$37.71 MAD 368

203.16%

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

$28.91 R 476

$10.53 MAD 103

174.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$40.93 MAD 399

-2.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$16.62 MAD 162

194.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$40.69 MAD 397

-72.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$5.29 MAD 51.6

72.97%

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

$259 R 4,264

$104 MAD 1,010

149.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$5,903 MAD 57.6K

15.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$32.27 MAD 315

74.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$46.59 MAD 454

-30.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$71.9 MAD 701

67.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$66.4 MAD 648

62.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$208 MAD 2,025

391.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$102 MAD 994

603.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$356 MAD 3,473

412.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$260 MAD 2,532

410.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,126 MAD 11.0K

112.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$838 MAD 8,167

84.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$516 MAD 5,033

217.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

119.40%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sale: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Sale

$102 16.1% 85.8% $615

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Sale

$195 30.8% 13.1% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Sale

$89 14.1% 51.3% $94

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Sale

$95 14.9% 46.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Sale

$98 15.4% 31.5% $45

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Sale

$28 4.5% 62.1% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Sale

$27 4.3% 59.6% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $208 in Sale. 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 217% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $18.00 in Sale. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $195 – making Sale the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Sale

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

890,403

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, 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).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Sale 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sale

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 Sale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 150% more than Sale, 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 $952 in Sale. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sale, 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 $1,586 in Cape Town and $635 in Sale. That's a gap of about 150%.

Public transport costs about 164% less in Sale. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sale, where all-in costs run around $635, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Sale 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. Sale costs $635 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 Sale. 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.