Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Staefa

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,402 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
171

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $3,402 in Staefa, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Staefa $3,402

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $5,480 in Staefa, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Staefa $5,480

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $7,558 in Staefa, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Staefa $7,558

Cape Town is about 55% cheaper than Staefa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Staefa sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Staefa by 152%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$33.35 CHF 27.28

-63.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$124 CHF 101

-65.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$16.32 CHF 13.35

-62.32%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$6.22 CHF 5.09

-61.90%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$5.89 CHF 4.82

-78.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$5.17 CHF 4.23

-81.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$8.68 CHF 7.10

-65.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$8.54 CHF 6.98

-56.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$2.17 CHF 1.78

-39.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$3.49 CHF 2.86

-65.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$3.83 CHF 3.13

-42.56%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$8.50 CHF 6.95

-63.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$26.34 CHF 21.55

-66.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$26.66 CHF 21.80

-74.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$55.2 CHF 45.16

-83.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$3.52 CHF 2.88

-48.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$2.78 CHF 2.27

-29.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$3.48 CHF 2.85

-52.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$4.73 CHF 3.87

-54.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$2.62 CHF 2.14

-39.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$2.27 CHF 1.86

-35.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$2.43 CHF 1.99

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.32 CHF 1.08

-13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$11.09 CHF 9.07

-67.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$14.14 CHF 11.56

-57.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$2.76 CHF 2.25

-49.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$3.22 CHF 2.64

-32.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$4.57 CHF 3.74

-69.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

$99.1 CHF 81.0

-38.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$8.13 CHF 6.65

-88.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$4.75 CHF 3.89

-81.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$88.4 CHF 72.3

-94.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$2.35 CHF 1.93

-34.47%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$40.2K CHF 32.9K

-11.99%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$39.4K CHF 32.2K

-15.20%

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

$117 R 1,918

$239 CHF 196

-51.06%

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

$25.71 R 421

$32.40 CHF 26.50

-20.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$56.0 CHF 45.76

-29.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$79.7 CHF 65.2

-35.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$48.63 CHF 39.78

-76.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$24.73 CHF 20.22

-64.05%

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

$308 R 5,040

$3,024 CHF 2,473

-89.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$36.9K CHF 30.2K

-77.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$140 CHF 114

-58.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$56.0 CHF 45.79

-43.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$149 CHF 122

-22.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$171 CHF 140

-41.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$1,988 CHF 1,626

-47.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,426 CHF 1,167

-53.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$2,860 CHF 2,339

-34.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$2,909 CHF 2,379

-51.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$17.0K CHF 13.9K

-85.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$11.9K CHF 9,732

-86.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

1.72

533.14%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Staefa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Staefa

$1.4K 41.9% 113% $757

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Staefa

$642 18.9% 188% $419

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Staefa

$328 9.6% 79.8% $145

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Staefa

$495 14.6% 185% $321

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Staefa

$232 6.8% 68.6% $94

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Staefa

$149 4.4% 108% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Staefa

$129 3.8% 86.1% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,988 in Staefa. 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 $43 in Cape Town versus $123 in Staefa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $642 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇭 Staefa

🕒 Local time

00:27 12:27 AM

23:27 11:27 PM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

11,567

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.918 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Staefa 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Staefa

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 Staefa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Staefa costs about 123% 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $5,102 in Staefa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,988 in Staefa.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,402 in Staefa. That makes Cape Town about 55% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,402 in Staefa. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Cape Town is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.