Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Victoria

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,017 in Victoria, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Victoria
Learn more

Victoria Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Victoria

🇸🇨 Seychelles

$2,017

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $2,017 in Victoria, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Victoria $2,017

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $3,144 in Victoria, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Victoria $3,144

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $4,271 in Victoria, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Victoria $4,271

Cape Town is about 22% cheaper than Victoria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Victoria sit above the global median – Cape Town by 17%, Victoria by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$17.68 SCR 256

-33.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$50.5 SCR 731

-7.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$12.40 SCR 180

-51.94%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$3.98 SCR 57.7

-37.94%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$2.33 SCR 33.72

-42.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$2.57 SCR 37.20

-59.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$4.08 SCR 59.1

-26.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$4.02 SCR 58.2

-8.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$1.86 SCR 26.93

-25.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.78 SCR 25.75

-33.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$2.62 SCR 37.90

-19.47%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$3.69 SCR 53.4

-18.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$31.07 SCR 450

-71.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$6.12 SCR 88.7

8.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$12.47 SCR 181

-25.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$2.29 SCR 33.17

-20.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$2.75 SCR 39.85

-30.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$2.40 SCR 34.74

-27.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$6.06 SCR 87.7

-65.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.91 SCR 27.60

-18.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.84 SCR 26.57

-19.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.48 SCR 21.36

-12.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$1.34 SCR 19.34

-13.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$24.31 SCR 352

-84.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$10.15 SCR 147

-40.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$4.26 SCR 61.7

-67.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$5.58 SCR 80.7

-60.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.73 SCR 10.56

106.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$32.68 SCR 473

86.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.64 SCR 23.70

-3.66%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$26.9K SCR 388.9K

32.17%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$32.7K SCR 473.3K

-2.87%

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

$116 R 1,920

$138 SCR 1,993

-15.43%

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

$28.37 R 468

$41.62 SCR 603

-31.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$136 SCR 1,972

-70.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$76.7 SCR 1,111

-36.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$7.95 SCR 115

40.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$6.96 SCR 101

26.87%

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

$261 R 4,314

$141 SCR 2,036

85.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$8,597 SCR 124.5K

-22.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$36.66 SCR 531

51.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$24.11 SCR 349

33.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$88.0 SCR 1,274

33.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$99.1 SCR 1,434

8.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$959 SCR 13.9K

5.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$787 SCR 11.4K

-9.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$2,261 SCR 32.7K

-20.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$1,756 SCR 25.4K

-24.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$442 SCR 6,400

427.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$1,145 SCR 16.6K

32.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$956 SCR 13.8K

71.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-8.58%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Victoria: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Victoria

$787 39.5% 10% $71

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Victoria

$375 18.8% 68.5% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Victoria

$315 15.9% 70.1% $130

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Victoria

$274 13.8% 58% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Victoria

$112 5.6% 20.6% $29

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Victoria

$36 * 1.8% 52.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Victoria

$91 4.6% 36.3% $24

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $959 in Victoria. 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 71% higher in Cape Town, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Cape Town versus $50.0 in Victoria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $375 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇸🇨 Victoria

🕒 Local time

16:17 4:17 PM

18:17 6:17 PM

2 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

26,450 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

100 SCR = 6.91 USD

100 SCR = 6.16 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SCR, 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 = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 14.48 SCR (100 SCR = 6.91 USD). 1 EUR = 16.23 SCR (100 SCR = 6.16 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Victoria 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Victoria

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 Victoria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Victoria costs about 29% 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 $3,026 in Victoria. 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 $2,017 in Victoria. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 87% 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 Victoria at $2,017. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Victoria it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $2,017 in Victoria. 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, Victoria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.