Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Ushuaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ushuaia: $956 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Ushuaia
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Ushuaia Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Ushuaia

🇦🇷 Argentina

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $956 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Ushuaia $956

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,570 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Ushuaia $1,570

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $2,184 in Ushuaia, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Ushuaia $2,184

Cape Town costs about 60% more than Ushuaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Ushuaia is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$10.70 ARS 16.5K

12.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$34.29 ARS 53.0K

25.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$9.12 ARS 14.1K

-32.57%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.74 ARS 4,225

-13.50%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.65 ARS 2,547

-23.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$1.48 ARS 2,278

-36.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.05 ARS 3,166

44.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$2.99 ARS 4,613

23.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$1.26 ARS 1,941

4.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.58 ARS 2,439

-23.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.97 ARS 3,043

11.68%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.26 ARS 3,492

37.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.95 ARS 15.4K

-12.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$6.17 ARS 9,533

11.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.49 ARS 14.7K

-2.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$1.94 ARS 3,001

-5.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.11 ARS 3,263

-7.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$1.26 ARS 1,953

31.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$2.54 ARS 3,928

-15.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.13 ARS 1,744

39.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.24 ARS 1,916

18.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$1.30 ARS 2,011

3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.47 ARS 2,276

-22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$3.10 ARS 4,795

15.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$5.13 ARS 7,926

17.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.97 ARS 3,045

-29.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$3.09 ARS 4,770

-29.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.82 ARS 1,265

70.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.48 ARS 2,289

-37.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.85 ARS 1,310

5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$5.86 ARS 9,046

-15.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.10 ARS 1,692

40.00%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$27.2K ARS 42.0M

29.96%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$30.9K ARS 47.7M

7.98%

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

$117 R 1,929

$66.6 ARS 102.8K

75.81%

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

$25.71 R 424

$17.47 ARS 27.0K

47.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$22.32 ARS 34.5K

76.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$25.69 ARS 39.7K

100.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$13.83 ARS 21.4K

-17.93%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$6.17 ARS 9,537

44.08%

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

$308 R 5,069

$219 ARS 338.8K

40.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$2,683 ARS 4.1M

203.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$72.6 ARS 112.1K

-20.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$68.5 ARS 105.8K

-53.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$114 ARS 175.7K

1.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$112 ARS 172.7K

-9.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$336 ARS 519.7K

211.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$234 ARS 361.1K

186.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$686 ARS 1.1M

171.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$535 ARS 825.8K

163.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$1,909 ARS 2.9M

26.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$1,297 ARS 2.0M

21.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

58.5

-81.38%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ushuaia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Ushuaia

$234 24.5% 65.1% $435

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Ushuaia

$230 24% 2.9% $6.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Ushuaia

$106 11.1% 41.6% $76

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Ushuaia

$174 18.2% 0.3% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Ushuaia

$165 17.3% 19.9% $27

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Ushuaia

$9 * 0.9% 87.5% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Ushuaia

$38 4% 45.2% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $336 in Ushuaia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $34 in Ushuaia. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Cape Town vs $230 in Ushuaia – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇦🇷 Ushuaia

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

79,538

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,735 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Ushuaia 6,790 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Ushuaia

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 Ushuaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 60% more than Ushuaia, 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $1,435 in Ushuaia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ushuaia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $956 in Ushuaia. That makes Ushuaia about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $308 per month in Cape Town and $219 in Ushuaia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ushuaia, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Ushuaia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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