Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and San Juan, Argentina

Name: San Juan
Address: San Juan, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $897 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
Learn more

San Juan Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $897 in San Juan, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
San Juan $897

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,400 in San Juan, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
San Juan $1,400

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,903 in San Juan, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
San Juan $1,903

Cape Town costs about 70% more than San Juan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while San Juan is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$7.14 ARS 11.0K

68.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$39.57 ARS 61.1K

8.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$12.27 ARS 18.9K

-49.88%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$2.53 ARS 3,905

-6.32%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$2.08 ARS 3,218

-38.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.77 ARS 2,729

-46.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$4.03 ARS 6,220

-26.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$4.60 ARS 7,111

-19.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.35 ARS 2,078

-2.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$1.43 ARS 2,215

-15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$1.43 ARS 2,212

53.85%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$1.38 ARS 2,131

124.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$2.78 ARS 4,287

214.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.07 ARS 9,374

13.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$10.99 ARS 17.0K

-15.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$1.43 ARS 2,212

27.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$1.44 ARS 2,217

35.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.35 ARS 2,082

22.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$1.46 ARS 2,249

46.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$1.46 ARS 2,251

8.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.40 ARS 2,159

5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$1.39 ARS 2,150

-2.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$1.39 ARS 2,144

-17.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$2.68 ARS 4,142

33.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$4.95 ARS 7,649

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.39 ARS 2,151

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$1.46 ARS 2,256

49.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$1.04 ARS 1,599

34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$2.05 ARS 3,171

-54.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$0.99 ARS 1,528

-9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$4.79 ARS 7,393

3.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.12 ARS 1,730

37.50%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$27.5K ARS 42.4M

28.77%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$33.5K ARS 51.8M

-0.44%

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

$117 R 1,935

$144 ARS 222.3K

-18.67%

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

$25.71 R 425

$9.81 ARS 15.2K

162.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$17.69 ARS 27.3K

122.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$30.49 ARS 47.1K

69.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$7.21 ARS 11.1K

23.30%

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

$308 R 5,085

$175 ARS 270.5K

75.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$4,103 ARS 6.3M

98.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$109 ARS 167.8K

-47.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$43.06 ARS 66.5K

-26.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$57.8 ARS 89.2K

100.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$35.56 ARS 54.9K

183.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$253 ARS 390.5K

314.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$202 ARS 311.7K

231.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$497 ARS 767.1K

274.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$406 ARS 627.8K

246.20%

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

$691 ARS 1.1M

135.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

-79.83%

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 Juan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

San Juan

$202 22.5% 69.8% $467

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

San Juan

$188 21% 15.6% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

San Juan

$171 19.1% 5.9% $11

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

San Juan

$169 18.8% 2.9% $5

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

San Juan

$110 12.3% 19.9% $27

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

San Juan

$11 * 1.2% 84.5% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

San Juan

$45 5% 35.3% $24

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 $253 in San Juan. 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 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $40 in San Juan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $188 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇦🇷 San Juan

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

18:49 6:49 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

522,029

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, 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).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,726 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town San Juan 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
San Juan

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 Juan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 70% more than San Juan, 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 $1,345 in San Juan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $897 in San Juan. That makes San Juan about 41% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $175 in San Juan. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $897 in San Juan. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with San Juan. 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.