Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Stellenbosch

For one person, living is cheaper in Stellenbosch: $1,165 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

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

$1,586

/mo nomad

Stellenbosch

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,165

/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 $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $1,165 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Stellenbosch $1,165

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,913 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Stellenbosch $1,913

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $2,660 in Stellenbosch, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Stellenbosch $2,660

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

$12.14 R 200

$7.29 R 120

66.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$35.82 R 590

26.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$4.72 R 77.8

24.58%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$2.05 R 33.74

21.95%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.00 R 16.52

27.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.77 R 12.67

27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$2.70 R 44.51

10.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$3.08 R 50.7

20.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.34 R 22.16

-2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.14 R 18.85

9.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.86 R 30.68

19.89%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.84 R 46.86

9.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$8.62 R 142

5.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$5.80 R 95.6

19.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$7.51 R 124

23.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$1.74 R 28.67

5.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.47 R 24.14

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.69 R 27.78

-1.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.59 R 26.17

36.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.09 R 17.89

44.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.53 R 25.17

-3.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.30 R 21.50

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$1.17 R 19.36

-3.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$3.52 R 58.1

2.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$6.17 R 102

-0.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$1.33 R 21.93

3.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.18 R 35.91

-1.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$0.61 R 10.10

-3.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.55 R 25.56

-3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$5.02 R 82.7

1.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.40 R 23.05

10.71%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$35.0K R 577.2K

3.35%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$31.0K R 510.9K

0.77%

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

$114 R 1,883

$103 R 1,691

11.39%

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

$28.91 R 476

$28.53 R 470

1.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$34.28 R 565

15.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$29.25 R 482

67.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$16.81 R 277

-34.62%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$8.89 R 146

2.92%

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

$259 R 4,264

$264 R 4,351

-1.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$2,389 R 39.4K

184.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$52.1 R 858

7.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$28.72 R 473

12.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$118 R 1,951

1.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$90.2 R 1,486

19.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$698 R 11.5K

46.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$488 R 8,038

46.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$1,443 R 23.8K

26.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$1,155 R 19.0K

14.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$2,556 R 42.1K

-35.90%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Stellenbosch: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Stellenbosch

$488 41.9% 31.9% $229

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Stellenbosch

$202 17.4% 10.1% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Stellenbosch

$165 14.2% 9.6% $18

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Stellenbosch

$124 10.6% 29.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Stellenbosch

$130 11.2% 8.8% $13

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Stellenbosch

$8.4 * 0.7% 88.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Stellenbosch

$47 4% 30.1% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $698 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 56% 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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $36.00 in Stellenbosch. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $202 – making Stellenbosch the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Stellenbosch

🕒 Local time

03:47 3:47 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

19,068

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cape Town Stellenbosch 42 km

From you

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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 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 $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,748 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 $1,586 in Cape Town and $1,165 in Stellenbosch. That's a gap of about 36%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $264 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 $1,165, than in Cape Town at $1,586. 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 $1,165 versus $1,586 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.