Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Surinam

For one person, living is cheaper in Surinam: $626 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Surinam
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Surinam Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Surinam

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,599 per month in Cape Town vs $626 in Surinam, rent included.

Cape Town $1,599
Surinam $626

A couple spends around $2,460 per month in Cape Town vs $1,049 in Surinam, rent included.

Cape Town $2,460
Surinam $1,049

A family of three spends $3,320 per month in Cape Town vs $1,472 in Surinam, rent included.

Cape Town $3,320
Surinam $1,472

Cape Town costs about 156% more than Surinam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Cape Town sits 18% above the global median, while Surinam is 54% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.07 R 199

$5.96 MUR 280

102.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 R 769

$38.18 MUR 1,797

22.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 R 102

$7.54 MUR 355

-17.77%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.13

$2.70 MUR 127

-7.41%

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

$1.35 R 22.28

$1.18 MUR 55.3

14.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.47

$0.68 MUR 31.99

47.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.06 R 50.4

$2.68 MUR 126

14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 R 60.5

$4.62 MUR 218

-20.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.45

$1.61 MUR 75.6

-19.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 R 20.89

$0.72 MUR 33.80

76.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.68

$1.10 MUR 51.8

97.27%

Eggs

$3.09 R 50.9

$2.65 MUR 125

16.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.98 R 148

$5.31 MUR 250

69.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.99 R 115

$6.18 MUR 291

13.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 R 159

$11.05 MUR 520

-12.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$2.81 MUR 132

-33.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 R 31.72

$2.66 MUR 125

-27.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.13

$1.45 MUR 68.3

22.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 R 35.86

$2.98 MUR 140

-26.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.07

$0.93 MUR 43.58

63.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.63

$0.96 MUR 45.08

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 R 21.74

$0.73 MUR 34.57

80.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 R 18.97

$0.89 MUR 41.98

29.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 R 61.4

$6.34 MUR 298

-41.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.01 R 99.0

$8.60 MUR 405

-30.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 R 22.13

$1.66 MUR 78.3

-19.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 R 35.11

$2.38 MUR 112

-10.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.55 R 25.53

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.85

$4.09 MUR 192

-85.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.36

$3.22 MUR 151

-52.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.01 R 82.5

$20.97 MUR 987

-76.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 R 26.33

$1.39 MUR 65.2

15.11%

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

$35.4K R 583.4K

$37.0K MUR 1.7M

-4.18%

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

$34.7K R 570.9K

$30.4K MUR 1.4M

13.81%

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

$119 R 1,955

$44.93 MUR 2,115

164.03%

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

$29.42 R 485

$10.67 MUR 502

175.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.81 R 656

$28.60 MUR 1,346

39.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 R 836

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.93 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$8.99 R 148

$6.39 MUR 301

40.69%

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

$261 R 4,303

$124 MUR 5,826

111.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,966 R 114.8K

$7,598 MUR 357.7K

-8.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 R 925

$78.6 MUR 3,702

-28.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.26 R 548

$75.1 MUR 3,533

-55.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,999

$120 MUR 5,633

1.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,779

$78.1 MUR 3,678

38.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 R 16.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 11.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,835 R 30.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,360 R 22.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 R 39.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,504 R 24.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

6.67

64.47%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Last update for Surinam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$720 45%

Surinam

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$226 14.2%

Surinam

$217 34.8% 3.9% $8.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$188 11.8%

Surinam

$84 13.5% 55.2% $104

Eating Out

Cape Town

$177 11.1%

Surinam

$133 21.2% 25.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Surinam

$158 25.3% 10.3% $15

Getting Around

Cape Town

$76 4.7%

Surinam

$20 * 3.2% 73.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.3%

Surinam

$13 * 2% 81.4% $56

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $38.00 in Surinam. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $226 vs $218 – making Surinam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇲🇺 Surinam

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

09:14 9:14 AM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

10,500

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Surinam 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Surinam

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 Surinam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 156% more than Surinam, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,398 per month in Cape Town and $938 in Surinam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,599 in Cape Town and $626 in Surinam. That's a gap of about 156%.

Kindergarten costs $261 per month in Cape Town and $124 in Surinam. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surinam, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Surinam 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. Surinam costs $626 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Surinam. 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.