Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,111 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Upington
Learn more

Upington Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,556 per month in Cape Town vs $1,111 in Upington, rent included.

Cape Town $1,556
Upington $1,111

A couple spends around $2,432 per month in Cape Town vs $1,731 in Upington, rent included.

Cape Town $2,432
Upington $1,731

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $2,350 in Upington, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Upington $2,350

Cape Town costs about 40% more than Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 14% above the global median, while Upington is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.09 R 202

$12.13 R 202

-0.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.34 R 739

$35.62 R 594

24.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 102

$5.83 R 97.2

5.49%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.30

$1.75 R 29.17

34.86%

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

$1.26 R 21.06

$1.02 R 17.06

23.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R 16.59

$0.77 R 12.87

29.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.08 R 51.3

$1.70 R 28.38

81.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.70 R 61.6

$2.76 R 45.95

34.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 R 22.41

$0.93 R 15.45

44.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.89

$1.22 R 20.27

-2.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.10 R 35.01

$1.61 R 26.83

30.43%

Eggs

$3.05 R 50.8

$2.22 R 36.95

37.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 146

$8.31 R 138

5.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.97 R 116

$5.40 R 89.9

29.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.39 R 157

$8.17 R 136

14.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.44

$2.06 R 34.27

-8.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.32

$1.49 R 24.76

26.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.08

$1.64 R 27.37

3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.04 R 34.07

$1.76 R 29.31

15.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.12

$1.34 R 22.33

17.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.65

$1.39 R 23.11

6.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.36

$1.11 R 18.43

15.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R 19.81

$1.22 R 20.33

-2.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.63 R 60.5

$2.76 R 46.01

31.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 R 103

$3.73 R 62.1

65.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 23.14

$1.54 R 25.67

-9.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.33

$2.09 R 34.77

4.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 R 22.83

$1.46 R 24.31

-6.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,021

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.58

$0.64 R 10.64

-10.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 R 24.62

$0.79 R 13.16

87.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 R 81.6

$11.30 R 188

-56.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.29

$1.45 R 24.20

8.97%

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

$34.7K R 578.4K

$40.3K R 671.8K

-13.90%

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

$34.1K R 568.2K

$34.8K R 579.4K

-1.92%

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

$117 R 1,948

$148 R 2,472

-21.20%

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

$28.35 R 472

$39.28 R 655

-27.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.58 R 676

$37.62 R 627

7.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.54 R 809

$28.10 R 468

72.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

$11.70 R 195

-7.69%

Cinema Ticket

$9.11 R 152

$8.00 R 133

13.87%

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

$302 R 5,032

$103 R 1,709

194.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,720 R 112.0K

$5,540 R 92.3K

21.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.2 R 920

$55.8 R 929

-0.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.70 R 545

$32.07 R 534

1.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,964

$104 R 1,736

13.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 R 1,731

$84.3 R 1,405

23.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 R 17.3K

$389 R 6,474

167.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 R 11.5K

$358 R 5,958

93.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,981 R 33.0K

$613 R 10.2K

223.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,388 R 23.1K

$736 R 12.3K

88.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,420 R 40.3K

$917 R 15.3K

163.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,552 R 25.9K

$739 R 12.3K

109.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.3K

$781 R 13.0K

101.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

11.38

-3.60%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Last update for Upington: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$691 44.4%

Upington

$358 32.2% 48.3% $333

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$224 14.4%

Upington

$193 17.4% 13.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$186 11.9%

Upington

$225 20.3% 21.2% $39

Eating Out

Cape Town

$175 11.3%

Upington

$157 14.1% 10.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$139 9%

Upington

$124 11.2% 10.8% $15

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Upington

$10 * 0.9% 86.1% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.3%

Upington

$44 4% 34% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in Cape Town versus $389 in Upington. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in Cape Town versus $36 in Upington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $193 – making Upington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

Same time as Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

74,834

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Upington 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Upington

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 Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 40% more than Upington, 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 $2,335 per month in Cape Town and $1,667 in Upington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Upington, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $389 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,111 in Upington. That makes Upington about 29% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $302 per month in Cape Town and $103 in Upington. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,556 in Cape Town and $1,111 in Upington. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Upington – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Upington. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.