Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Volta Redonda

For one person, living is cheaper in Volta Redonda: $740 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Volta Redonda
Learn more

Volta Redonda Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Volta Redonda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Volta Redonda

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $740 in Volta Redonda, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Volta Redonda $740

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $1,174 in Volta Redonda, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Volta Redonda $1,174

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $1,608 in Volta Redonda, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Volta Redonda $1,608

Cape Town costs about 106% more than Volta Redonda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 13% above the global median, while Volta Redonda is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$2.79 R$15.29

330.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$36.58 R$201

17.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$6.11 R$33.51

0.65%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$2.37 R$13.01

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$1.30 R$7.11

-2.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$0.53 R$2.91

77.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$2.19 R$12.01

35.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$4.13 R$22.68

-10.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$0.92 R$5.05

43.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$1.73 R$9.49

-30.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$1.12 R$6.12

96.43%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$2.23 R$12.24

39.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$6.63 R$36.36

31.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$2.87 R$15.76

140.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$9.03 R$49.56

2.55%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$2.00 R$10.98

-8.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$1.08 R$5.92

80.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$0.90 R$4.96

84.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$1.84 R$10.11

16.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.32 R$7.22

19.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.18 R$6.50

24.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$0.53 R$2.93

154.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$0.47 R$2.59

142.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$1.45 R$7.98

146.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$7.98 R$43.80

-24.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$1.00 R$5.49

39.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$1.59 R$8.72

37.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$0.82 R$4.49

70.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$32.69 R$179

85.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$1.33 R$7.27

-30.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$0.89 R$4.89

1.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$10.13 R$55.6

-51.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$1.18 R$6.48

30.51%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$22.0K R$120.5K

61.03%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$31.4K R$172.4K

6.22%

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

$117 R 1,929

$87.9 R$482

33.26%

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

$25.71 R 424

$10.45 R$57.3

146.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$19.32 R$106

103.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$27.30 R$150

89.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$7.11 R$38.99

25.04%

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

$308 R 5,069

$139 R$764

120.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$2,717 R$14.9K

199.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$42.50 R$233

35.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$37.47 R$206

-15.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$45.26 R$248

156.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$84.8 R$465

18.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$253 R$1,388

313.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$181 R$991

270.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$562 R$3,086

230.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$345 R$1,894

307.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$766 R$4,205

214.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$637 R$3,498

146.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

$273 R$1,498

496.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

11.5

-5.30%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Volta Redonda: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Volta Redonda

$181 24.4% 73% $489

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Volta Redonda

$169 22.8% 24.4% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Volta Redonda

$118 15.9% 35.4% $65

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Volta Redonda

$96 12.9% 45.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Volta Redonda

$94 12.8% 31.3% $43

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Volta Redonda

$42 5.6% 41.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Volta Redonda

$42 5.6% 40.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $253 in Volta Redonda. 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 6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Cape Town versus $37 in Volta Redonda. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $169 – making Volta Redonda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇧🇷 Volta Redonda

🕒 Local time

11:34 11:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

5 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

261,563

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, 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).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Volta Redonda 6,160 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Volta Redonda

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 Volta Redonda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 106% more than Volta Redonda, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,110 in Volta Redonda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Volta Redonda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $740 in Volta Redonda. That makes Volta Redonda about 52% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Volta Redonda. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Volta Redonda, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Volta Redonda it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Volta Redonda – 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 Volta Redonda. 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.