Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Settat

For one person, living is cheaper in Settat: $647 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Settat
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Settat Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Settat

🇲🇦 Morocco

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $647 in Settat, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Settat $647

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,028 in Settat, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Settat $1,028

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,410 in Settat, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Settat $1,410

Cape Town costs about 145% more than Settat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Settat is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$3.09 MAD 30.09

292.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$30.63 MAD 299

48.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.11 MAD 59.6

-3.76%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.11 MAD 10.84

125.23%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.44 MAD 4.26

188.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.32 MAD 3.07

206.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.16 MAD 11.35

157.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.48 MAD 14.43

151.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$0.84 MAD 8.18

54.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$0.78 MAD 7.60

60.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.51 MAD 14.74

47.68%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.86 MAD 18.17

67.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$7.85 MAD 76.5

15.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.30 MAD 51.7

30.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$11.00 MAD 107

-15.45%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.59 MAD 15.46

15.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.34 MAD 13.02

46.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.90 MAD 8.82

85.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$0.77 MAD 7.49

181.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$0.66 MAD 6.43

137.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$0.79 MAD 7.68

87.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.24 MAD 2.34

441.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.51 MAD 5.00

121.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$4.08 MAD 39.78

-11.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.58 MAD 73.9

-18.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$2.19 MAD 21.38

-36.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$3.25 MAD 31.71

-34.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.50 MAD 4.91

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$20.93 MAD 204

190.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.73 MAD 7.08

-19.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.61 MAD 5.96

145.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$6.86 MAD 66.9

-25.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.44 MAD 14.02

7.64%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$33.6K MAD 327.6K

7.76%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$28.9K MAD 281.3K

8.29%

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

$114 R 1,883

$20.18 MAD 197

466.50%

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

$28.91 R 476

$5.04 MAD 49.17

473.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$36.13 MAD 352

9.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$18.49 MAD 180

165.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$20.83 MAD 203

-47.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$6.11 MAD 59.5

49.75%

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

$259 R 4,264

$95.5 MAD 931

171.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$8,175 MAD 79.7K

-16.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$30.99 MAD 302

81.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$44.10 MAD 430

-26.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$81.3 MAD 793

48.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$80.1 MAD 781

34.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$270 MAD 2,631

278.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$174 MAD 1,694

312.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$456 MAD 4,450

299.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$274 MAD 2,676

383.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,214 MAD 11.8K

97.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$851 MAD 8,299

81.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$204 MAD 1,990

703.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.5

213.43%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Settat: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Settat

$174 26.9% 75.8% $543

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Settat

$179 27.8% 20.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Settat

$61 9.5% 66.5% $122

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Settat

$68 10.5% 61.3% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Settat

$106 16.5% 25.4% $36

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Settat

$27 4.1% 64.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Settat

$31 4.8% 54.4% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $270 in Settat. 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 703% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $31.00 in Settat. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $179 – making Settat the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇦 Settat

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

142,250

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Moroccan Dirham MAD د.م.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MAD = 10.26 USD

100 MAD = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MAD, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Moroccan Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.75 MAD (1 MAD = 0.103 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 MAD (100 MAD = 9.12 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Settat 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Settat

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 Settat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 145% more than Settat, 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $970 in Settat. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Settat, 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 $1,586 in Cape Town and $647 in Settat. That's a gap of about 145%.

Public transport costs about 190% less in Settat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Settat, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Settat 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. Settat costs $647 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Settat. 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.