Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and San José, Uruguay

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $918 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in San José

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $918 in San José, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
San José $918

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,456 in San José, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
San José $1,456

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,995 in San José, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
San José $1,995

Cape Town costs about 66% more than San José, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while San José is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$13.30 UYU 535

-9.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$44.40 UYU 1,786

-3.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$13.94 UYU 561

-55.88%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$4.83 UYU 194

-50.93%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$2.28 UYU 91.9

-44.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$2.27 UYU 91.3

-58.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$2.96 UYU 119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$3.61 UYU 145

2.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.00 UYU 40.19

32.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$2.01 UYU 80.8

-39.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$1.46 UYU 58.6

50.68%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$2.57 UYU 103

20.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$11.91 UYU 479

-26.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$7.35 UYU 296

-6.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$11.68 UYU 470

-20.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.21 UYU 48.70

51.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.51 UYU 60.5

29.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.23 UYU 49.38

34.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$1.53 UYU 61.4

39.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$0.97 UYU 39.14

62.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.23 UYU 49.35

19.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.56 UYU 62.9

-13.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.97 UYU 79.2

-42.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$10.18 UYU 409

-64.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$8.31 UYU 334

-27.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$3.03 UYU 122

-54.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$3.23 UYU 130

-32.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$3.54 UYU 142

-73.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$3.43 UYU 138

-73.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$9.87 UYU 397

-49.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$2.22 UYU 89.4

-30.63%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$35.4K UYU 1.4M

-0.13%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$39.7K UYU 1.6M

-15.84%

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

$117 R 1,935

$115 UYU 4,628

1.74%

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

$25.71 R 425

$23.51 UYU 946

9.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$47.19 UYU 1,898

-16.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$12.41 UYU 499

-28.36%

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

$308 R 5,085

$498 UYU 20.0K

-38.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$6,594 UYU 265.2K

23.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$89.3 UYU 3,591

-35.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$37.39 UYU 1,504

-15.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$165 UYU 6,631

-29.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$120 UYU 4,821

-15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

117.80%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for San José: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

San José

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

San José

$255 27.8% 14.1% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

San José

$186 20.3% 2% $3.6

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

San José

$246 26.9% 41.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

San José

$185 20.2% 34.5% $48

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

San José

$21 * 2.3% 71.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

San José

$25 * 2.7% 64.2% $45

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $44 in San José. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $255 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇺🇾 San José

🕒 Local time

00:58 12:58 AM

19:58 7:58 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

36,747

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 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 = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.95 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town San José 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
San José

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 San José: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 66% more than San José, 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 $1,376 in San José. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $918 in San José. That makes San José about 40% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $918 in San José. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $918 in San José to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.