Last update: Nov 2026

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

Name: San Rafael
Address: San Rafael, AR

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,353 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
64

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,353

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,353 in San Rafael, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
San Rafael $1,353

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $2,224 in San Rafael, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
San Rafael $2,224

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $3,096 in San Rafael, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
San Rafael $3,096

Cape Town costs about 13% more than San Rafael, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$11.01 ARS 17.0K

9.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 709

$50.9 ARS 78.7K

-15.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$14.49 ARS 22.4K

-57.56%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.16

$4.44 ARS 6,855

-46.62%

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

$1.27 R 21.03

$2.43 ARS 3,759

-47.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.50

$1.90 ARS 2,931

-50.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.92

$3.89 ARS 6,014

-23.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.0

$4.38 ARS 6,766

-15.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.80

$1.39 ARS 2,147

-5.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.93

$2.19 ARS 3,375

-44.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.37

$2.78 ARS 4,295

-20.86%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.3

$3.19 ARS 4,920

-2.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$14.27 ARS 22.0K

-38.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.11 ARS 9,443

12.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$11.04 ARS 17.1K

-16.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.17

$2.36 ARS 3,638

-22.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.22

$2.23 ARS 3,446

-12.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.40

$1.37 ARS 2,108

21.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.30

$3.33 ARS 5,148

-35.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.09

$2.03 ARS 3,128

-22.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.37

$1.52 ARS 2,351

-3.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.25

$2.00 ARS 3,091

-32.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.91

$2.57 ARS 3,966

-55.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.1

$2.68 ARS 4,136

33.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$5.07 ARS 7,835

19.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.02

$1.80 ARS 2,784

-22.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

$3.07 ARS 4,738

-28.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.09

$0.98 ARS 1,508

42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.31

$2.01 ARS 3,104

-53.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

$1.03 ARS 1,583

-12.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

$4.93 ARS 7,607

0.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.45

$1.22 ARS 1,879

26.23%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

$27.4K ARS 42.2M

29.29%

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

$32.4K ARS 50.0M

3.11%

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

$117 R 1,935

$146 ARS 225.9K

-19.96%

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

$25.71 R 425

$17.25 ARS 26.6K

49.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 651

$23.80 ARS 36.8K

65.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 853

$31.51 ARS 48.7K

63.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$21.04 ARS 32.5K

-46.06%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$7.25 ARS 11.2K

22.62%

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

$308 R 5,085

$174 ARS 268.7K

76.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

$4,125 ARS 6.4M

97.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

$125 ARS 193.2K

-54.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

$142 ARS 219.8K

-77.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

$141 ARS 218.5K

-18.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

$158 ARS 243.7K

-36.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.3K

$511 ARS 788.5K

105.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$336 ARS 519.7K

98.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.8K

$1,049 ARS 1.6M

77.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$825 ARS 1.3M

70.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,272 ARS 2.0M

23.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

-81.54%

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 Rafael: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

San Rafael

$336 24.9% 49.7% $333

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

San Rafael

$287 21.2% 28.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

San Rafael

$187 13.9% 2.8% $5.1

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

San Rafael

$230 17% 32.4% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

San Rafael

$255 18.9% 85.3% $117

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

San Rafael

$11 * 0.8% 84.6% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

San Rafael

$46 3.4% 33.7% $23

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 $511 in San Rafael. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $51 in San Rafael. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $287 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

15:12 3:12 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

118,850

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.76 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 = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,735 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town San Rafael 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
San Rafael

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 Rafael: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 13% more than San Rafael, 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 $2,029 in San Rafael. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Rafael, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,353 in San Rafael. That makes San Rafael about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $174 in San Rafael. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,353 in San Rafael. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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