Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Stockton-on-Tees

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,599 a month against $1,692 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,599
/mo nomad
Stockton-on-Tees
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,692
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Stockton-on-Tees

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 Stockton-on-Tees actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $1,692 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent included.

  • Cape Town $1,599
  • Stockton-on-Tees $1,692

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $2,431 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent included.

  • Cape Town $2,460
  • Stockton-on-Tees $2,431

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $3,170 in Stockton-on-Tees, rent included.

  • Cape Town $3,320
  • Stockton-on-Tees $3,170

Cape Town is about 5% cheaper than Stockton-on-Tees, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cape Town and Stockton-on-Tees sit above the global median – Cape Town by 18%, Stockton-on-Tees by 25%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cape Town
Stockton-on-Tees
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.07 R 199
$13.37 £10.03
-9.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.65 R 769
$68.7 £51.5
-32.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.20 R 102
$10.50 £7.88
-40.95%
Cappuccino
$2.50 R 41.13
$3.39 £2.54
-26.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 R 22.28
$2.38 £1.78
-43.28%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.00 R 16.47
$2.03 £1.52
-50.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.06 R 50.4
$4.60 £3.45
-33.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 R 60.5
$4.13 £3.10
-11.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
Stockton-on-Tees
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.45
$1.23 £0.92
5.69%
White Bread (500g)
$1.27 R 20.89
$1.05 £0.79
20.95%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.17 R 35.68
$1.38 £1.04
57.25%
Eggs
$3.09 R 50.9
$3.57 £2.68
-13.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.98 R 148
$7.63 £5.72
17.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.99 R 115
$7.06 £5.29
-0.99%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.67 R 159
$13.99 £10.49
-30.88%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 R 30.78
$2.47 £1.85
-24.29%
Banana (1kg)
$1.93 R 31.72
$1.60 £1.20
20.62%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.77 R 29.13
$2.24 £1.68
-20.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.18 R 35.86
$1.82 £1.37
19.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.52 R 25.07
$1.72 £1.29
-11.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.63
$1.28 £0.96
21.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.32 R 21.74
$1.15 £0.87
14.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 R 18.97
$1.57 £1.18
-26.75%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.72 R 61.4
$23.04 £17.29
-83.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.01 R 99.0
$8.02 £6.02
-25.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.34 R 22.13
$3.01 £2.25
-55.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 R 35.11
$3.75 £2.81
-43.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Cape Town
Stockton-on-Tees
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.55 R 25.53
$3.94 £2.96
-60.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$61.3 R 1,010
$62.7 £47.01
-2.19%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.60 R 9.85
$4.45 £3.34
-86.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.54 R 25.36
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.01 R 82.5
$33.23 £24.93
-84.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.60 R 26.33
$1.99 £1.49
-19.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.4K R 583.4K
$38.9K £29.2K
-8.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.7K R 570.9K
$40.2K £30.2K
-13.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
Stockton-on-Tees
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 R 1,955
$354 £265
-66.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.42 R 485
$25.85 £19.39
13.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$39.81 R 656
$45.40 £34.06
-12.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
Stockton-on-Tees
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.8 R 836
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$10.93 R 180
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$8.99 R 148
$17.10 £12.83
-47.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cape Town
Stockton-on-Tees
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$261 R 4,303
$799 £599
-67.31%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,966 R 114.8K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
Stockton-on-Tees
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.1 R 925
$108 £81.3
-48.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.26 R 548
$55.4 £41.55
-39.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$121 R 1,999
$113 £84.5
7.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$108 R 1,779
$114 £85.2
-4.85%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
Stockton-on-Tees
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,028 R 16.9K
$594 £446
72.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$720 R 11.9K
$494 £370
45.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,835 R 30.2K
$809 £607
126.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,360 R 22.4K
$711 £533
91.28%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,407 R 39.6K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,504 R 24.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cape Town
Stockton-on-Tees
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,649 R 27.2K
$2,020 £1,515
-18.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
10.97
5.53
98.37%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Stockton-on-Tees: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cape Town
$720
Stockton-on-Tees
$494 31.4% $226
Groceries & Markets
Cape Town
$226
Stockton-on-Tees
$252 11.6% $26
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cape Town
$188
Stockton-on-Tees
$425 126% $237
Eating Out
Cape Town
$177
Stockton-on-Tees
$228 28.7% $51
Clothing & Footwear
Cape Town
$143
Stockton-on-Tees
$175 22.3% $32
Getting Around
Cape Town
$76
Stockton-on-Tees
$83 * 9.4% $7.1
Sport & Entertainment
Cape Town
$69
Stockton-on-Tees
$34 * 50.2% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Cape Town versus $594 in Stockton-on-Tees. 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 22% higher in Stockton-on-Tees, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $69.0 in Stockton-on-Tees. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $252 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🇬🇧 Stockton-on-Tees
🕒 Local time
17:25 5:25 PM
16:25 4:25 PM
1 h behind Cape Town
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,740,026 Capital
82,729
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cape Town Stockton-on-Tees 10,020 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cape Town
  • Stockton-on-Tees

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 Stockton-on-Tees: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Cape Town or Stockton-on-Tees?
Stockton-on-Tees costs about 6% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Cape Town and in Stockton-on-Tees?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $2,537 in Stockton-on-Tees. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Cape Town or Stockton-on-Tees?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Cape Town compared to Stockton-on-Tees?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $1,692 in Stockton-on-Tees. That's a gap of about 6%.
How expensive is transport in Cape Town compared to Stockton-on-Tees?
Public transport costs about 2% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Cape Town or in Stockton-on-Tees?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,599, than in Stockton-on-Tees at $1,692. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockton-on-Tees it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Cape Town or Stockton-on-Tees?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,599 versus $1,692 in Stockton-on-Tees. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Cape Town or to Stockton-on-Tees?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stockton-on-Tees makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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