Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Schaffhausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,167 in Schaffhausen, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
151

Cost of Living Index in Schaffhausen
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Schaffhausen Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,167

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $3,167 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Schaffhausen $3,167

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $5,081 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Schaffhausen $5,081

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $6,994 in Schaffhausen, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Schaffhausen $6,994

Cape Town is about 52% cheaper than Schaffhausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Schaffhausen sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Schaffhausen by 134%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$30.33 CHF 24.74

-60.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$121 CHF 98.4

-64.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$18.22 CHF 14.85

-66.25%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$6.01 CHF 4.90

-60.57%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$5.60 CHF 4.57

-77.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$4.99 CHF 4.07

-81.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$8.44 CHF 6.88

-64.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$7.13 CHF 5.82

-48.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$2.27 CHF 1.85

-41.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$4.10 CHF 3.35

-70.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$4.17 CHF 3.40

-47.24%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$8.14 CHF 6.64

-61.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$27.72 CHF 22.61

-68.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$31.59 CHF 25.76

-78.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$42.91 CHF 34.99

-78.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.73 CHF 3.04

-50.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.14 CHF 1.74

-8.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$3.05 CHF 2.49

-45.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$5.77 CHF 4.71

-62.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$2.29 CHF 1.87

-31.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$2.28 CHF 1.86

-35.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.33 CHF 1.90

-42.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.13 CHF 0.92

0.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$10.97 CHF 8.95

-67.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$12.10 CHF 9.87

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$2.97 CHF 2.42

-53.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$3.20 CHF 2.61

-31.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$3.93 CHF 3.21

-64.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$97.6 CHF 79.6

-37.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$6.18 CHF 5.04

-84.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$2.86 CHF 2.33

-68.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$60.8 CHF 49.60

-91.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.25 CHF 1.83

-31.56%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$39.7K CHF 32.4K

-10.93%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$40.1K CHF 32.7K

-16.69%

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

$117 R 1,929

$237 CHF 194

-50.69%

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

$25.71 R 424

$29.36 CHF 23.94

-12.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$62.4 CHF 50.9

-36.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$110 CHF 89.5

-53.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$46.99 CHF 38.32

-75.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$23.61 CHF 19.26

-62.35%

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

$308 R 5,069

$3,155 CHF 2,573

-90.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$24.9K CHF 20.3K

-67.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$169 CHF 138

-66.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$55.0 CHF 44.87

-42.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$188 CHF 153

-38.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$152 CHF 124

-33.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$1,306 CHF 1,065

-19.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,190 CHF 970

-43.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$2,691 CHF 2,194

-30.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$2,378 CHF 1,939

-40.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$8,165 CHF 6,658

-70.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$8,387 CHF 6,839

-81.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$7,325 CHF 5,973

-77.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

1.9

473.16%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Schaffhausen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 37.6% 77.8% $521

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Schaffhausen

$635 20.1% 185% $412

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Schaffhausen

$329 10.4% 80.7% $147

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Schaffhausen

$468 14.8% 169% $294

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Schaffhausen

$254 8% 84.6% $116

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Schaffhausen

$134 4.2% 86.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Schaffhausen

$157 5% 126% $88

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,306 in Schaffhausen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Schaffhausen are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $121 in Schaffhausen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $635 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🕒 Local time

11:32 11:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

35,927

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 CHF = 1.23 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.815 CHF (1 CHF = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 0.916 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Schaffhausen 9,130 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Schaffhausen

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 Schaffhausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Schaffhausen costs about 107% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $4,751 in Schaffhausen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,306 in Schaffhausen.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,167 in Schaffhausen. That makes Cape Town about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 38% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,167 in Schaffhausen. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Schaffhausen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.