Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sterling Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Sterling

🙂 Solo nomad: Cape Town is 32.5% cheaper than Sterling without rent, and 52.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cape Town is 40.7% cheaper than Sterling without rent, and 46.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.02 R 196
$20.2 $20.2
-45.45%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.54 R 792
$85.9 $85.9
-48.16%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.96 R 88.2
$13.33 $13.33
-62.79%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.25
$5.32 $5.32
-62.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.16 R 20.6
$2.81 $2.81
-58.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 R 15.46
$2.33 $2.33
-62.66%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.82 R 50.1
$5.93 $5.93
-52.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 R 43.97
$7.94 $7.94
-68.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.16 R 20.62
$0.98 $0.98
18.37%
White Bread (500g)
$1.1 R 19.49
$3.44 $3.44
-68.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.83 R 32.49
$2.13 $2.13
-14.08%
Eggs
$2.39 R 42.45
$4.94 $4.94
-51.62%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.28 R 147
$19.1 $19.1
-56.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.22 R 92.8
$12.15 $12.15
-57.04%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.46 R 133
$18.33 $18.33
-59.30%
Apples (1kg)
$1.55 R 27.64
$4.8 $4.8
-67.71%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 25.08
$1.33 $1.33
6.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 R 25.83
$6.99 $6.99
-79.26%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.52 R 26.99
$6.58 $6.58
-76.90%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 R 19.21
$3.45 $3.45
-68.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 R 22.05
$2.69 $2.69
-53.90%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.32
$2.21 $2.21
-50.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 R 17.46
$2.47 $2.47
-60.32%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 R 54
$8.77 $8.77
-65.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.68 R 101
$13.76 $13.76
-58.72%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.42 R 25.18
$1.68 $1.68
-15.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.94
$5.1 $5.1
-67.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.91 R 16.22
$2.04 $2.04
-55.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.53 R 845
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.38 R 24.59
$4.43 $4.43
-68.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.95 R 16.94
$1.39 $1.39
-31.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.54 R 80.8
$28.94 $28.94
-84.31%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 R 21.88
$0.81 $0.81
51.85%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 373K
$26K $26K
-19.42%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.5K R 434.9K
$24.6K $24.6K
-0.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.2 R 1,764
$209 $209
-52.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.54 R 597
$52.6 $52.6
-36.18%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.65 R 723
$73.6 $73.6
-44.74%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.61 R 758
$28.88 $28.88
47.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.17 R 145
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.85 R 122
$14.73 $14.73
-53.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$209 R 3,720
$1,721 $1,721
-87.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,202 R 92.5K
$23.8K $23.8K
-78.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.1 R 980
$48.23 $48.23
14.29%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.11 R 589
$45.88 $45.88
-27.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 R 1,974
$97.4 $97.4
14.03%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$85.5 R 1,520
$119 $119
-28.46%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$766 R 13.6K
$1,287 $1,287
-40.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$522 R 9,280
$1,377 $1,377
-62.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,434 R 25.5K
$2,007 $2,007
-28.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,029 R 18.3K
$2,249 $2,249
-54.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,000 R 35.6K
$2,820 $2,820
-29.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,318 R 23.4K
$2,428 $2,428
-45.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,641 R 29.2K
$3,806 $3,806
-56.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.77
6.57
79.15%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 29, 2025

Last update for Sterling: October 27, 2025

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