Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sete Lagoas

For one person, living is cheaper in Sete Lagoas: $633 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Sete Lagoas
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Sete Lagoas Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Sete Lagoas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Sete Lagoas

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $633 in Sete Lagoas, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Sete Lagoas $633

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,008 in Sete Lagoas, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Sete Lagoas $1,008

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,383 in Sete Lagoas, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Sete Lagoas $1,383

Cape Town costs about 141% more than Sete Lagoas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Sete Lagoas is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$5.70 R$31.26

110.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$21.51 R$118

99.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$5.08 R$27.90

21.06%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$0.58 R$3.18

308.62%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$0.96 R$5.28

32.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.54 R$2.99

74.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$1.11 R$6.07

166.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$1.82 R$9.97

102.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.84 R$4.59

57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$0.67 R$3.68

80.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.27 R$6.96

73.23%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$1.63 R$8.94

90.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$5.51 R$30.23

58.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$2.74 R$15.05

151.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$7.23 R$39.65

28.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$0.96 R$5.28

90.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.07 R$5.89

82.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$0.55 R$3.01

201.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$0.98 R$5.35

118.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$0.61 R$3.32

159.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$0.54 R$2.95

172.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.51 R$2.80

164.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.54 R$2.94

111.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$1.52 R$8.36

135.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$5.73 R$31.46

5.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$0.54 R$2.99

157.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$0.95 R$5.22

129.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.91 R$5.01

53.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$42.45 R$233

43.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$0.39 R$2.13

138.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.29 R$1.60

210.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$7.55 R$41.43

-34.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$0.92 R$5.03

67.39%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$12.8K R$70.1K

176.63%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$22.2K R$121.7K

50.47%

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

$117 R 1,929

$46.49 R$255

151.82%

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

$25.71 R 424

$9.39 R$51.5

173.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$17.40 R$95.5

126.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$23.72 R$130

117.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$26.31 R$144

-56.86%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$3.78 R$20.73

135.19%

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

$308 R 5,069

$110 R$601

180.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$2,433 R$13.3K

234.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$9.50 R$52.1

504.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$9.51 R$52.2

233.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$37.86 R$208

206.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$36.81 R$202

173.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$334 R$1,831

213.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$231 R$1,266

190.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$641 R$3,517

190.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$457 R$2,509

207.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,598 R$8,766

50.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,159 R$6,359

35.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$414 R$2,271

293.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

10.67

2.06%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sete Lagoas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Sete Lagoas

$231 36.5% 65.5% $438

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Sete Lagoas

$124 19.7% 44.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Sete Lagoas

$73 11.6% 59.8% $109

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Sete Lagoas

$83 13.1% 52.3% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Sete Lagoas

$42 6.7% 69.4% $95

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Sete Lagoas

$48 7.6% 33.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Sete Lagoas

$31 4.9% 54.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $334 in Sete Lagoas. 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 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $22 in Sete Lagoas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $124 – making Sete Lagoas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Sete Lagoas

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

22:19 10:19 PM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

227,397

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Sete Lagoas 6,330 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Sete Lagoas

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 Sete Lagoas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 141% more than Sete Lagoas, 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 $949 in Sete Lagoas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sete Lagoas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $334 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $633 in Sete Lagoas. That makes Sete Lagoas about 59% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Sete Lagoas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sete Lagoas, where all-in costs run around $633, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Sete Lagoas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sete Lagoas – 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 Sete Lagoas. 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.