Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Tel Aviv-Yafo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $3,627 in Tel Aviv-Yafo, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
175

Cost of Living Index in Tel Aviv-Yafo
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Tel Aviv-Yafo Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Tel Aviv-Yafo

🇮🇱 Israel

$3,627

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Tel Aviv-Yafo

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 Tel Aviv-Yafo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $3,627 in Tel Aviv-Yafo, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Tel Aviv-Yafo $3,627

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $5,355 in Tel Aviv-Yafo, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Tel Aviv-Yafo $5,355

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $7,083 in Tel Aviv-Yafo, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Tel Aviv-Yafo $7,083

Cape Town is about 57% cheaper than Tel Aviv-Yafo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Tel Aviv-Yafo sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Tel Aviv-Yafo by 171%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 195

$26.58 ₪81.3

-55.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 772

$129 ₪393

-63.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.9

$20.71 ₪63.3

-71.22%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 41.01

$5.49 ₪16.79

-55.01%

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

$1.33 R 22.03

$4.06 ₪12.41

-67.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 17.08

$3.24 ₪9.90

-68.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.98

$11.03 ₪33.72

-72.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.8

$11.32 ₪34.60

-67.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 23.08

$2.60 ₪7.93

-46.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.70

$4.48 ₪13.70

-73.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 35.02

$3.83 ₪11.70

-44.91%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.84

$5.32 ₪16.27

-43.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 149

$22.03 ₪67.3

-59.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$16.17 ₪49.42

-58.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 154

$25.43 ₪77.7

-63.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.28

$4.68 ₪14.32

-60.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.47

$3.96 ₪12.10

-52.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.98

$2.53 ₪7.73

-30.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.59

$3.33 ₪10.18

-37.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.78

$1.91 ₪5.84

-18.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.65

$1.91 ₪5.83

-21.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.53

$2.60 ₪7.96

-50.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.29

$2.63 ₪8.04

-55.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.5

$14.56 ₪44.51

-74.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 101

$16.11 ₪49.24

-62.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.97

$3.78 ₪11.55

-63.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.51

$4.77 ₪14.57

-53.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 25.11

$2.56 ₪7.84

-41.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

$101 ₪310

-39.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.38

$4.25 ₪13.00

-85.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.42

$1.11 ₪3.39

37.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.8

$19.53 ₪59.7

-75.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.22

$2.64 ₪8.08

-40.15%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

$56.3K ₪172.1K

-36.95%

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

$57.5K ₪175.8K

-44.80%

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

$116 R 1,930

$451 ₪1,380

-74.22%

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

$28.37 R 471

$11.34 ₪34.65

150.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 675

$36.33 ₪111

12.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 810

$111 ₪339

-55.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

$23.04 ₪70.4

-51.69%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$16.19 ₪49.48

-45.46%

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

$261 R 4,336

$1,727 ₪5,280

-84.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

$31.2K ₪95.3K

-78.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 919

$124 ₪378

-55.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

$86.7 ₪265

-62.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

$175 ₪536

-32.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,775

$200 ₪611

-46.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.8K

$2,269 ₪6,934

-55.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.9K

$1,627 ₪4,974

-56.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.9K

$3,597 ₪11.0K

-49.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.1K

$2,749 ₪8,402

-51.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.7K

$20.3K ₪62.0K

-88.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.1K

$13.2K ₪40.5K

-88.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.1K

$4,179 ₪12.8K

-60.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

5.03

118.09%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Tel Aviv-Yafo: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$1.6K 45% 127% $912

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$517 14.3% 132% $294

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$499 13.8% 169% $314

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$448 12.4% 158% $274

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$264 7.3% 87.5% $123

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$121 3.4% 61.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Tel Aviv-Yafo

$143 4% 115% $77

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $2,269 in Tel Aviv-Yafo. 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 155% higher in Tel Aviv-Yafo, 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 $129 in Tel Aviv-Yafo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $517 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇮🇱 Tel Aviv-Yafo

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

1 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

438,818

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Israeli New Shekel ILS ₪

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

1 ILS = 0.327 USD

1 ILS = 0.292 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Israeli New Shekel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.06 ILS (1 ILS = 0.327 USD). 1 EUR = 3.43 ILS (1 ILS = 0.292 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Tel Aviv-Yafo 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Tel Aviv-Yafo

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 Tel Aviv-Yafo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tel Aviv-Yafo costs about 131% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $5,441 in Tel Aviv-Yafo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,568 in Cape Town and $3,627 in Tel Aviv-Yafo. That's a gap of about 131%.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Tel Aviv-Yafo at $3,627. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tel Aviv-Yafo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $3,627 in Tel Aviv-Yafo. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tel Aviv-Yafo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.