Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Secunda

For one person, living is cheaper in Secunda: $1,027 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

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

Cost of Living Index in Secunda
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Secunda Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Secunda

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,027

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $1,027 in Secunda, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Secunda $1,027

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,667 in Secunda, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Secunda $1,667

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $2,306 in Secunda, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Secunda $2,306

Cape Town costs about 56% more than Secunda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Secunda is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$6.20 R 102

94.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$30.52 R 503

52.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$5.22 R 86.0

18.77%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.27 R 37.42

10.13%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$0.81 R 13.38

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.51 R 8.33

96.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$1.07 R 17.59

185.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$1.38 R 22.72

165.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.16 R 19.14

12.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.87 R 14.33

45.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.84 R 30.33

17.93%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.43 R 40.04

27.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$8.53 R 141

5.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$4.88 R 80.4

43.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$7.11 R 117

36.01%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$1.75 R 28.78

6.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$1.68 R 27.69

14.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.80 R 29.60

-1.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$1.65 R 27.15

32.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$1.12 R 18.50

35.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$1.18 R 19.52

32.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$1.24 R 20.38

6.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$1.30 R 21.48

-11.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.35 R 55.3

11.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$5.01 R 82.6

19.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.53 R 25.21

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$1.92 R 31.66

10.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

$1.37 R 22.65

13.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$0.29 R 4.74

106.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$0.76 R 12.51

102.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$14.36 R 237

-65.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.57 R 25.85

1.91%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$35.7K R 587.4K

-0.67%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$35.5K R 584.4K

-2.32%

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

$119 R 1,955

$156 R 2,569

-23.93%

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

$29.42 R 485

$38.00 R 626

-22.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$37.12 R 612

7.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

$32.65 R 538

55.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

$10.92 R 180

0.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$7.33 R 121

22.65%

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

$261 R 4,303

$91.7 R 1,510

184.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$5,457 R 89.9K

27.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$54.3 R 895

3.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$32.82 R 541

1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$94.2 R 1,553

28.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$82.6 R 1,360

30.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

$403 R 6,638

155.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$324 R 5,336

122.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

$708 R 11.7K

159.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$841 R 13.8K

61.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

$839 R 13.8K

186.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

$602 R 9,912

150.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$1,466 R 24.2K

12.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.34

-3.26%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Secunda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Secunda

$324 31.5% 55% $396

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Secunda

$191 18.6% 15.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Secunda

$231 22.5% 23% $43

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Secunda

$106 10.3% 40.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Secunda

$119 11.6% 17.2% $25

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Secunda

$9.6 * 0.9% 87.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Secunda

$47 4.6% 31.2% $21

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $403 in Secunda. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 12% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $31.00 in Secunda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $191 – making Secunda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Secunda

🕒 Local time

18:05 6:05 PM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

40,198

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Secunda 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Secunda

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 Secunda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 56% more than Secunda, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $1,541 in Secunda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Secunda, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $1,027 in Secunda. That's a gap of about 56%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $91.7 in Secunda. 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 Secunda, where all-in costs run around $1,027, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Secunda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Secunda costs $1,027 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Secunda. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.