Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Somerset West

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,160 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Somerset West

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,160 in Somerset West, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Somerset West $1,160

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $1,888 in Somerset West, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Somerset West $1,888

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,615 in Somerset West, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Somerset West $2,615

Cape Town costs about 34% more than Somerset West, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while Somerset West is 15% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$12.23 R 204

-1.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$45.52 R 759

-2.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$5.44 R 90.7

13.05%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$2.06 R 34.34

14.56%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$1.06 R 17.74

18.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$0.84 R 14.01

19.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$2.58 R 42.91

19.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$3.27 R 54.5

13.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$1.03 R 17.13

30.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$0.98 R 16.39

21.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$2.08 R 34.70

0.96%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$2.28 R 38.00

33.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$8.34 R 139

4.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$5.18 R 86.3

34.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$9.22 R 154

1.84%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$1.81 R 30.23

4.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$1.89 R 31.47

-0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$1.74 R 29.00

-2.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$1.69 R 28.20

20.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$1.51 R 25.23

3.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$1.53 R 25.48

-3.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$1.29 R 21.42

-0.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$1.07 R 17.80

11.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$3.39 R 56.5

7.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$5.89 R 98.1

4.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$1.36 R 22.73

2.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$1.75 R 29.17

24.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$1.11 R 18.47

23.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

$60.4 R 1,007

1.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$0.59 R 9.81

-3.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$1.54 R 25.72

-3.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$4.94 R 82.4

-0.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$1.42 R 23.68

11.27%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$29.3K R 487.5K

18.64%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$29.4K R 489.1K

16.17%

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

$117 R 1,948

$82.1 R 1,368

42.46%

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

$28.35 R 472

$29.05 R 484

-2.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$40.47 R 674

0.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$44.16 R 736

9.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$10.43 R 174

3.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$7.28 R 121

25.14%

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

$302 R 5,032

$251 R 4,175

20.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$3,596 R 59.9K

86.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$30.99 R 516

78.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$31.32 R 522

4.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$71.3 R 1,189

65.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$56.3 R 939

84.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$643 R 10.7K

61.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$426 R 7,095

62.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$1,341 R 22.3K

47.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$937 R 15.6K

48.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$1,221 R 20.3K

98.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$892 R 14.9K

73.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

$1,418 R 23.6K

11.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.12

8.40%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Somerset West: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Somerset West

$426 36.7% 38.4% $265

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Somerset West

$200 17.2% 10.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Somerset West

$152 13.1% 18.4% $34

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Somerset West

$166 14.3% 5.3% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Somerset West

$86 7.4% 38.6% $54

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Somerset West

$73 6.3% 2.1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Somerset West

$59 5.1% 12.1% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $643 in Somerset West. 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 11% 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 $44 in Cape Town versus $46 in Somerset West. Groceries tell a different story – $224 in Cape Town vs $200 in Somerset West – so Somerset West wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

55,166

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Somerset West 43 km

From you

Cape Town
Somerset West

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 Somerset West: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 34% more than Somerset West, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $1,740 in Somerset West. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Somerset West, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $643 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,160 in Somerset West. That makes Somerset West about 25% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $302 per month in Cape Town and $251 in Somerset West. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,160 in Somerset West, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Somerset West – 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 Somerset West. 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.