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

🙂 Solo nomad: Cape Town is 46.2% cheaper than Sterling without rent, and 51.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Cape Town is 40.3% cheaper than Sterling without rent, and 46.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.12 R 183
$19.96 $19.96
-44.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$44.86 R 739
$84.4 $84.4
-46.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.00 R 82.4
$13.02 $13.02
-61.60%
Cappuccino
$2.05 R 33.83
$5.47 $5.47
-62.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 R 18.44
$2.74 $2.74
-59.12%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 R 13.36
$2.28 $2.28
-64.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.85 R 47.00
$6.06 $6.06
-52.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 R 42.44
$7.59 $7.59
-66.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 R 19.01
$0.89 $0.89
29.21%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 R 17.17
$3.46 $3.46
-69.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.85 R 30.42
$2.21 $2.21
-16.29%
Eggs
$2.43 R 39.98
$5.03 $5.03
-51.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.49 R 140
$19.30 $19.30
-56.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.17 R 85.2
$11.92 $11.92
-56.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.49 R 123
$18.18 $18.18
-58.80%
Apples (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.96
$4.74 $4.74
-68.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.44 R 23.73
$1.28 $1.28
12.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.45 R 23.91
$7.08 $7.08
-79.52%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 R 26.03
$6.65 $6.65
-76.24%
Potato (1kg)
$1.12 R 18.38
$3.47 $3.47
-67.72%
Onion (1kg)
$1.23 R 20.20
$2.70 $2.70
-54.44%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 17.88
$2.20 $2.20
-50.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.46
$2.50 $2.50
-60.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.10 R 51.1
$9.15 $9.15
-66.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.46 R 107
$13.76 $13.76
-53.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.39 R 22.94
$1.70 $1.70
-18.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 R 28.60
$4.88 $4.88
-64.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 R 15.36
$2.02 $2.02
-53.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$47.00 R 775
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.43 R 23.49
$4.58 $4.58
-68.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.98 R 16.21
$1.35 $1.35
-27.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.35 R 71.7
$28.75 $28.75
-84.87%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 R 20.60
$0.88 $0.88
42.05%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.5K R 354.7K
$26.8K $26.8K
-19.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K R 395.3K
$24.6K $24.6K
-2.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$101 R 1,658
$212 $212
-52.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.78 R 540
$52.2 $52.2
-37.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.87 R 690
$74.4 $74.4
-43.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.03 R 676
$28.45 $28.45
44.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.21 R 135
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 R 114
$14.89 $14.89
-53.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$213 R 3,518
$1,774 $1,774
-87.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,248 R 86.5K
$23.7K $23.7K
-77.86%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.6 R 900
$47.60 $47.60
14.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.30 R 549
$44.27 $44.27
-24.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$111 R 1,834
$96.0 $96.0
15.96%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$83.4 R 1,374
$119 $119
-29.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$749 R 12.3K
$1,245 $1,245
-39.84%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$517 R 8,514
$1,360 $1,360
-62.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,460 R 24.1K
$2,009 $2,009
-27.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,008 R 16.6K
$2,234 $2,234
-54.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,156 R 35.5K
$3,258 $3,258
-33.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,484 R 24.5K
$2,390 $2,390
-37.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Sterling
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,625 R 26.8K
$3,688 $3,688
-55.95%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Sterling: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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