Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Stilbaai

For one person, living is cheaper in Stilbaai: $1,102 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Stilbaai
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Stilbaai Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Stilbaai

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $1,102 in Stilbaai, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Stilbaai $1,102

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,838 in Stilbaai, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Stilbaai $1,838

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,574 in Stilbaai, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Stilbaai $2,574

Cape Town costs about 39% more than Stilbaai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Stilbaai is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 197

$11.99 R 196

0.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 703

$43.94 R 720

-2.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$6.14 R 101

0.16%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 38.81

$2.41 R 39.44

-1.66%

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

$1.27 R 20.84

$1.32 R 21.56

-3.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.37

$0.99 R 16.28

-5.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.48

$3.09 R 50.6

-4.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.5

$3.59 R 58.8

2.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.61

$1.36 R 22.29

-2.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.75

$1.25 R 20.49

-3.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.05

$2.13 R 34.93

3.29%

Eggs

$3.10 R 50.8

$3.08 R 50.5

0.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 143

$8.83 R 145

-1.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 113

$6.75 R 111

2.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 152

$9.73 R 159

-4.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 29.90

$1.83 R 30.00

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 31.94

$1.88 R 30.72

3.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.16

$1.69 R 27.61

-1.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 34.99

$2.14 R 35.12

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 25.86

$1.50 R 24.53

5.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.15

$1.54 R 25.20

-4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.05

$1.29 R 21.15

4.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.75

$1.18 R 19.38

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 58.6

$3.58 R 58.7

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.2

$5.95 R 97.4

1.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.82

$1.38 R 22.61

0.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.69

$2.19 R 35.94

-0.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 22.88

$1.64 R 26.81

-14.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.18

$0.94 R 15.48

-1.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.75

$0.84 R 13.79

7.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.3

$5.09 R 83.4

-2.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.23

$1.56 R 25.49

-1.28%

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

$35.4K R 579.4K

$34.3K R 562.4K

3.02%

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

$33.4K R 546.7K

$34.2K R 559.9K

-2.35%

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

$117 R 1,918

$118 R 1,929

-0.54%

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

$25.71 R 421

$25.60 R 420

0.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 646

$40.19 R 659

-1.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 846

$33.77 R 553

52.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

$10.44 R 171

8.72%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$8.93 R 146

-0.45%

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

$308 R 5,040

$301 R 4,930

2.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 133.4K

$8,205 R 134.4K

-0.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 940

$56.4 R 923

1.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 520

$32.06 R 525

-0.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,900

$120 R 1,974

-3.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,650

$104 R 1,702

-3.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.1K

$390 R 6,390

168.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$315 R 5,160

112.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.5K

$778 R 12.8K

139.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.1K

$813 R 13.3K

73.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.5K

$850 R 13.9K

183.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.7K

$750 R 12.3K

109.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Stilbaai: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Stilbaai

$315 28.6% 52.9% $354

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Stilbaai

$224 20.4% 0.5% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Stilbaai

$184 16.7% 0.7% $1.3

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Stilbaai

$175 15.9% 0.6% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Stilbaai

$141 12.8% 2.3% $3.1

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Stilbaai

$12 * 1.1% 83.7% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Stilbaai

$52 4.7% 25.6% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $390 in Stilbaai. 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 $44 in Stilbaai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $224 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Stilbaai

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cape Town Stilbaai 280 km

From you

Cape Town
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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 Stilbaai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 39% more than Stilbaai, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,653 in Stilbaai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stilbaai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $390 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,102 in Stilbaai. That makes Stilbaai about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $301 in Stilbaai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,527 in Cape Town and $1,102 in Stilbaai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,102 in Stilbaai to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.