Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Scottburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Scottburgh: $1,105 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Scottburgh
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Scottburgh Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Scottburgh

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,105

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,105 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Scottburgh $1,105

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,736 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Scottburgh $1,736

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,368 in Scottburgh, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Scottburgh $2,368

Cape Town costs about 38% more than Scottburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Scottburgh is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 199

$8.66 R 144

38.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 712

$36.96 R 613

16.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$6.09 R 101

0.99%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.30

$2.59 R 43.05

-8.49%

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

$1.27 R 21.11

$1.10 R 18.28

15.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.56

$0.82 R 13.53

14.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 49.10

$2.35 R 38.98

25.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 61.2

$2.34 R 38.83

57.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.88

$1.24 R 20.50

6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 20.00

$0.96 R 15.91

26.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.50

$1.49 R 24.70

47.65%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.5

$2.29 R 37.98

35.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 145

$8.04 R 133

8.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$5.21 R 86.5

32.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 154

$7.26 R 120

27.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$1.97 R 32.71

-7.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.34

$1.86 R 30.92

4.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.50

$1.94 R 32.24

-14.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.43

$1.60 R 26.61

33.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.19

$1.51 R 25.03

4.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.46

$1.37 R 22.69

7.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.33

$1.16 R 19.20

16.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.98

$1.18 R 19.62

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.4

$3.54 R 58.7

1.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 100

$4.87 R 80.8

24.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.10

$1.50 R 24.84

-7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.15

$2.02 R 33.51

7.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.17

$1.88 R 31.26

-25.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.37

$0.44 R 7.24

111.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.93

$0.71 R 11.73

26.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.3

$7.73 R 128

-35.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.55

$1.50 R 24.85

2.67%

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

$35.4K R 586.7K

$35.9K R 596.4K

-1.63%

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

$33.4K R 553.7K

$34.1K R 565.6K

-2.12%

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

$117 R 1,942

$149 R 2,473

-21.46%

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

$25.71 R 427

$38.28 R 635

-32.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 654

$39.10 R 649

0.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 856

$30.86 R 512

67.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

$13.26 R 220

-14.40%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 147

$7.54 R 125

17.90%

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

$308 R 5,104

$311 R 5,166

-1.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 135.1K

$7,387 R 122.6K

10.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 952

$52.5 R 871

9.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 527

$27.25 R 452

16.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,924

$95.5 R 1,584

21.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,671

$83.8 R 1,391

20.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.4K

$361 R 5,996

189.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.1K

$368 R 6,113

81.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.9K

$821 R 13.6K

126.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.3K

$792 R 13.1K

77.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 40.0K

$759 R 12.6K

217.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 26.0K

$715 R 11.9K

119.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

11.7

-6.92%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Scottburgh: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Scottburgh

$368 33.4% 44.9% $301

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Scottburgh

$193 17.5% 13.5% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Scottburgh

$226 20.5% 24.3% $44

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Scottburgh

$143 12.9% 17.9% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Scottburgh

$117 10.6% 15.3% $21

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Scottburgh

$12 * 1% 84% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Scottburgh

$46 4.2% 33.8% $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 $361 in Scottburgh. 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 $37 in Scottburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $193 – making Scottburgh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Scottburgh

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

23,949

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Scottburgh 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Scottburgh

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 Scottburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 38% more than Scottburgh, 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 $1,657 in Scottburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Scottburgh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $361 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,105 in Scottburgh. That makes Scottburgh about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $311 in Scottburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Scottburgh, where all-in costs run around $1,105, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Scottburgh 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 $1,105 in Scottburgh to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.