Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Soustons

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,556 a month against $1,853 in Soustons, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. The total is higher in Soustons despite lower rent and utilities.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Soustons
Learn more

Soustons Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Soustons

🇫🇷 France

$1,853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,853 in Soustons, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Soustons $1,853

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $2,918 in Soustons, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Soustons $2,918

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $3,983 in Soustons, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Soustons $3,983

Cape Town is about 16% cheaper than Soustons, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Soustons sit above the global median – Cape Town by 14%, Soustons by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$16.89 €15.17

-28.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$77.4 €69.5

-42.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$13.21 €11.86

-53.44%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$4.50 €4.04

-47.56%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$4.15 €3.73

-69.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$3.01 €2.71

-66.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$7.35 €6.60

-58.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$6.77 €6.08

-45.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$1.25 €1.13

7.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$0.54 €0.49

120.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$2.52 €2.26

-16.67%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$2.94 €2.64

3.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$23.12 €20.77

-62.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$14.52 €13.04

-52.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$20.37 €18.29

-53.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$3.37 €3.02

-43.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$2.56 €2.30

-26.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$3.37 €3.03

-49.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$3.42 €3.07

-40.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$2.28 €2.05

-31.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$2.74 €2.46

-45.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$1.36 €1.22

-5.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$0.68 €0.61

75.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$14.13 €12.69

-74.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$6.81 €6.12

-9.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$3.39 €3.05

-59.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$3.28 €2.94

-33.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$2.08 €1.87

-34.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

$41.48 €37.26

47.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$8.22 €7.39

-93.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$2.34 €2.10

-36.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$37.20 €33.42

-86.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$2.09 €1.88

-24.40%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$34.7K €31.2K

0.05%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$36.7K €33.0K

-7.08%

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

$117 R 1,948

$218 €196

-46.40%

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

$28.35 R 472

$14.22 €12.77

99.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$33.42 €30.02

21.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$34.82 €31.28

39.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$13.31 €11.96

-31.56%

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

$302 R 5,032

$1,001 €900

-69.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$10.1K €9,044

-33.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$116 €104

-52.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$51.3 €46.06

-36.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$115 €103

2.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$166 €149

-37.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$875 €786

18.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$578 €519

19.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$1,578 €1,417

25.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$1,127 €1,012

23.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$3,659 €3,287

-33.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$3,184 €2,860

-51.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

3.79

189.45%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Soustons: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Soustons

$578 31.2% 16.3% $113

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Soustons

$369 19.9% 64.9% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Soustons

$266 14.3% 43% $80

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Soustons

$308 16.6% 75.5% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Soustons

$202 10.9% 44.6% $62

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Soustons

$70 3.8% 6.7% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Soustons

$61 3.3% 8% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $875 in Soustons. 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 $44 in Cape Town versus $77 in Soustons. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $369 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇫🇷 Soustons

🕒 Local time

18:37 6:37 PM

17:37 5:37 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Soustons 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Soustons

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 Soustons: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Soustons costs about 19% more than Cape Town, 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 $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $2,780 in Soustons. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Soustons, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $875 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,853 in Soustons. That’s a gap of about 19%.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Soustons. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,853 in Soustons. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,556 in Cape Town to $1,853 in Soustons. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.