Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Southampton

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,599 a month against $3,694 in Southampton, rent and utilities included – about $25,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
179

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Southampton

🇧🇲 Bermuda

$3,694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $3,694 in Southampton, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Southampton $3,694

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $8,281 in Southampton, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Southampton $8,281

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $12.9K in Southampton, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Southampton $12.9K

Cape Town is about 57% cheaper than Southampton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Southampton sit above the global median – Cape Town by 18%, Southampton by 173%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$50.7 BMD 50.7

-76.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$151 BMD 151

-69.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$16.82 BMD 16.82

-63.14%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$6.02 BMD 6.02

-58.47%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$2.98 BMD 2.98

-54.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$3.09 BMD 3.09

-67.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$7.55 BMD 7.55

-59.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$9.03 BMD 9.03

-59.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$4.79 BMD 4.79

-72.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$7.98 BMD 7.98

-84.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$5.45 BMD 5.45

-60.18%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$7.33 BMD 7.33

-57.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$23.09 BMD 23.09

-61.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$21.09 BMD 21.09

-66.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$19.30 BMD 19.30

-49.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$8.88 BMD 8.88

-78.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$6.79 BMD 6.79

-71.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$7.23 BMD 7.23

-75.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$8.49 BMD 8.49

-74.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$5.86 BMD 5.86

-74.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$4.13 BMD 4.13

-62.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$6.39 BMD 6.39

-79.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$3.39 BMD 3.39

-66.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$18.34 BMD 18.34

-79.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$23.79 BMD 23.79

-74.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$5.12 BMD 5.12

-73.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$4.20 BMD 4.20

-49.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$6.60 BMD 6.60

-90.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$3.07 BMD 3.07

-49.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$70.9 BMD 70.9

-92.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$2.10 BMD 2.10

-23.81%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$37.4K BMD 37.4K

-5.20%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$43.4K BMD 43.4K

-20.16%

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

$119 R 1,955

$288 BMD 288

-58.83%

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

$29.42 R 485

$148 BMD 148

-80.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$162 BMD 162

-75.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$13.37 BMD 13.37

-32.76%

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

$261 R 4,303

$1,314 BMD 1,314

-80.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$24.9K BMD 24.9K

-72.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$90.3 BMD 90.3

-37.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$70.2 BMD 70.2

-52.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$141 BMD 141

-13.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$131 BMD 131

-17.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

$1,503 BMD 1,503

-52.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

$7,867 BMD 7,867

-82.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

$9,763 BMD 9,763

-83.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

8.63

27.11%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Southampton: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Southampton

$1.5K 40.7% 109% $784

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Southampton

$742 20.1% 228% $515

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Southampton

$598 16.2% 218% $410

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Southampton

$608 16.5% 243% $431

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Southampton

$195 5.3% 35.6% $51

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Southampton

$22 * 0.6% 71% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Southampton

$27 * 0.7% 61.1% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 492% higher in Southampton, 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 $151 in Southampton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $742 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇲 Southampton

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

00:06 12:06 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

6,260

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Bermudian Dollar BMD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 BMD = 1 USD

1 BMD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Bermudian Dollar exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1 BMD (1 BMD = 1 USD). 1 EUR = 1.12 BMD (1 BMD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Southampton 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Southampton

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 Southampton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Southampton costs about 131% 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 $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $5,542 in Southampton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $3,694 in Southampton. That's a gap of about 131%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $1,314 in Southampton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Southampton at $3,694. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Southampton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,599 versus $3,694 in Southampton. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Southampton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.