Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Stellenbosch

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,149 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

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

Cost of Living Index in Stellenbosch
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Stellenbosch Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,149

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $1,149 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Stellenbosch $1,149

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,919 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Stellenbosch $1,919

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,689 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Stellenbosch $2,689

Cape Town costs about 36% more than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Stellenbosch is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$7.13 R 118

65.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$36.08 R 595

29.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$4.71 R 77.6

26.54%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$2.09 R 34.49

18.18%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$0.97 R 16.02

37.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.77 R 12.77

33.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$2.72 R 44.95

10.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$3.21 R 52.9

14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.40 R 23.11

-0.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.12 R 18.42

6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.76 R 29.11

19.89%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.85 R 47.08

5.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$8.58 R 142

4.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$5.87 R 96.8

13.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$7.54 R 124

23.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$1.75 R 28.91

4.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$1.48 R 24.42

28.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$1.68 R 27.74

4.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.59 R 26.21

31.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.06 R 17.49

46.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.51 R 24.98

-1.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.33 R 21.97

-2.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$1.17 R 19.33

-0.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$3.65 R 60.3

1.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$5.95 R 98.2

1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.38 R 22.78

0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$2.09 R 34.41

5.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.57 R 9.41

10.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$1.46 R 24.05

4.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$5.05 R 83.3

-4.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.37 R 22.66

15.33%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$35.9K R 592.9K

-1.22%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$31.7K R 523.5K

0.06%

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

$116 R 1,920

$101 R 1,663

15.48%

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

$28.37 R 468

$28.54 R 471

-0.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$33.94 R 560

19.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$28.90 R 477

69.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$16.24 R 268

-31.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$8.97 R 148

-1.56%

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

$261 R 4,314

$260 R 4,291

0.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$2,370 R 39.1K

182.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$52.4 R 865

5.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$29.30 R 483

10.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$119 R 1,970

-1.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$90.0 R 1,486

18.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$670 R 11.1K

51.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$478 R 7,884

49.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$1,422 R 23.5K

26.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$1,148 R 18.9K

15.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$2,570 R 42.4K

-36.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.7

2.52%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Stellenbosch

$478 41.5% 33.2% $238

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Stellenbosch

$202 17.6% 9.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Stellenbosch

$163 14.2% 12% $22

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Stellenbosch

$123 10.7% 29% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Stellenbosch

$131 11.4% 6.7% $9.5

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Stellenbosch

$7.9 * 0.7% 89.6% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Stellenbosch

$47 4.1% 29.6% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $670 in Stellenbosch. 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 57% higher in Stellenbosch, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $36.00 in Stellenbosch. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $202 – making Stellenbosch the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

19,068

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cape Town Stellenbosch 42 km

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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 Stellenbosch: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 36% more than Stellenbosch, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,723 in Stellenbosch. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stellenbosch, 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 $1,568 in Cape Town and $1,149 in Stellenbosch. That's a gap of about 36%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $260 in Stellenbosch. 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 Stellenbosch, where all-in costs run around $1,149, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Stellenbosch 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. Stellenbosch costs $1,149 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Stellenbosch. 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.