Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Salto, Uruguay

For one person, living is cheaper in Salto: $1,315 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Salto
Learn more

Salto Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Salto

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$1,315

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,315 in Salto, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Salto $1,315

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,942 in Salto, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Salto $1,942

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,568 in Salto, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Salto $2,568

Cape Town costs about 16% more than Salto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Salto is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$16.05 UYU 645

-25.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$37.24 UYU 1,498

15.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$11.94 UYU 480

-48.49%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$3.24 UYU 130

-26.85%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$2.15 UYU 86.3

-40.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.59 UYU 64.1

-40.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$4.42 UYU 178

-33.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$3.14 UYU 126

17.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.40 UYU 56.3

-5.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$2.07 UYU 83.2

-41.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.48 UYU 59.4

48.65%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$5.34 UYU 215

-41.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$14.97 UYU 602

-41.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$8.48 UYU 341

-18.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$10.21 UYU 411

-9.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.22 UYU 49.01

50.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.20 UYU 88.4

-11.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.26 UYU 50.9

31.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.87 UYU 75.4

14.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.83 UYU 33.31

90.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.67 UYU 67.2

-11.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.93 UYU 37.21

45.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.50 UYU 60.4

-24.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$5.30 UYU 213

-32.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.41 UYU 298

-18.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.83 UYU 73.7

-24.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$2.55 UYU 103

-14.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.60 UYU 23.99

133.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$29.83 UYU 1,200

103.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$3.71 UYU 149

-75.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.99 UYU 80.2

-22.61%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

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

$117 R 1,929

$200 UYU 8,056

-41.55%

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

$25.71 R 424

$21.36 UYU 859

20.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$30.41 UYU 1,223

29.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$36.84 UYU 1,482

40.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$12.64 UYU 509

-10.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$9.83 UYU 395

-9.56%

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

$308 R 5,069

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$4,410 UYU 177.3K

84.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$88.8 UYU 3,569

-35.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$55.7 UYU 2,239

-42.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$112 UYU 4,504

3.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$66.6 UYU 2,678

51.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$451 UYU 18.1K

132.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$294 UYU 11.8K

127.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$758 UYU 30.5K

145.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$431 UYU 17.3K

226.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$620 UYU 24.9K

163.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Salto: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Salto

$294 22.4% 56.1% $375

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Salto

$270 20.5% 21.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Salto

$252 19.2% 38.4% $70

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Salto

$246 18.7% 41.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Salto

$145 11.1% 5.6% $7.7

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Salto

$51 * 3.9% 29.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Salto

$56 4.3% 18.6% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $451 in Salto. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $37 in Salto. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Cape Town vs $270 in Salto – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇺🇾 Salto

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

07:36 7:36 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

104,028

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UYU, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 45.17 UYU (100 UYU = 2.21 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Salto 6,980 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Salto

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 Salto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 16% more than Salto, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,973 in Salto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Salto, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $451 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,315 in Salto. That makes Salto about 14% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town and $37 in Salto. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Salto, where all-in costs run around $1,315, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Salto it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,315 in Salto to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Salto. 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.