Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Takoradi

For one person, living is cheaper in Takoradi: $566 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Takoradi
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Takoradi Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Takoradi

🇬🇭 Ghana

$566

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $566 in Takoradi, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Takoradi $566

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $952 in Takoradi, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Takoradi $952

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,338 in Takoradi, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Takoradi $1,338

Cape Town costs about 180% more than Takoradi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Takoradi is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$8.11 GHS 94.3

49.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$50.1 GHS 583

-9.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$10.48 GHS 122

-43.89%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$4.38 GHS 50.9

-42.92%

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

$1.27 R 20.94

$1.60 GHS 18.64

-20.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.44 GHS 5.14

122.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.81 GHS 21.09

65.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$2.19 GHS 25.45

69.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.41 GHS 16.36

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.03 GHS 12.01

21.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.73 GHS 20.10

28.90%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$2.57 GHS 29.87

21.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$11.74 GHS 137

-22.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.61 GHS 53.6

50.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$2.61 GHS 30.33

256.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.40 GHS 27.95

-23.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$0.87 GHS 10.11

125.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$1.05 GHS 12.21

59.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.73 GHS 20.13

25.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$2.27 GHS 26.36

-30.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.86 GHS 21.65

-20.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.74 GHS 8.56

75.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.24 GHS 2.78

370.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$2.53 GHS 29.47

42.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.19 GHS 83.6

-14.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.31 GHS 3.64

345.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$2.43 GHS 28.27

-11.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.74 GHS 20.26

-66.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$1.24 GHS 14.44

20.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$4.19 GHS 48.76

21.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$1.35 GHS 15.76

14.81%

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

$36.2K R 596.5K

$7,998 GHS 93.0K

352.71%

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

$31.2K R 514.8K

$9,720 GHS 113.0K

221.46%

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

$114 R 1,883

$72.3 GHS 841

58.10%

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

$28.91 R 476

$19.30 GHS 224

49.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$41.81 GHS 486

-4.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$12.67 GHS 147

-27.78%

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

$259 R 4,264

$463 GHS 5,389

-44.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$18.4K GHS 214.1K

-63.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$14.16 GHS 165

296.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$18.49 GHS 215

75.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$36.33 GHS 422

231.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$51.7 GHS 601

109.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

26.75

-58.99%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Takoradi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Takoradi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Takoradi

$175 30.9% 22.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Takoradi

$133 23.6% 27.1% $50

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Takoradi

$170 30.1% 3.2% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Takoradi

$54 9.6% 62% $88

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Takoradi

$8 * 1.4% 89.4% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Takoradi

$25 * 4.5% 62.4% $42

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 $45.00 in Cape Town versus $50.0 in Takoradi. Groceries tell a different story – $225 in Cape Town vs $175 in Takoradi – so Takoradi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇬🇭 Takoradi

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

2 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

539,548

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.08 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Takoradi 4,810 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Takoradi

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 Takoradi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 180% more than Takoradi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $850 in Takoradi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $566 in Takoradi. That's a gap of about 180%.

Kindergarten costs $259 per month in Cape Town and $463 in Takoradi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Takoradi, where all-in costs run around $566, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Takoradi 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. Takoradi costs $566 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Takoradi. 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.