Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Yaounde

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $789 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
Learn more

Yaounde Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,568 per month in Cape Town vs $789 in Yaounde, rent included.

Cape Town $1,568
Yaounde $789

A couple spends around $2,438 per month in Cape Town vs $1,225 in Yaounde, rent included.

Cape Town $2,438
Yaounde $1,225

A family of three spends $3,307 per month in Cape Town vs $1,661 in Yaounde, rent included.

Cape Town $3,307
Yaounde $1,661

Cape Town costs about 99% more than Yaounde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Yaounde is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.78 R 194

$3.51 FCFA 2,051

235.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.55 R 768

$50.5 FCFA 29.5K

-7.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 R 98.4

$5.22 FCFA 3,053

14.18%

Cappuccino

$2.47 R 40.80

$1.96 FCFA 1,145

26.02%

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

$1.33 R 21.91

$1.53 FCFA 898

-13.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 R 16.99

$0.54 FCFA 318

90.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

$1.27 FCFA 744

137.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

111.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 R 22.96

$3.66 FCFA 2,143

-62.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

$1.09 FCFA 638

9.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

$1.32 FCFA 772

59.85%

Eggs

$3.01 R 49.58

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

43.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 R 148

$13.54 FCFA 7,923

-33.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 R 110

$6.16 FCFA 3,605

7.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.29 R 153

$6.70 FCFA 3,919

38.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

$5.19 FCFA 3,037

-64.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

$2.01 FCFA 1,178

-5.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

$2.02 FCFA 1,180

-13.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.09 R 34.41

$1.37 FCFA 803

52.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

$1.64 FCFA 960

-5.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$1.45 FCFA 847

2.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$1.09 FCFA 635

19.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 19.19

$0.66 FCFA 388

75.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

$1.68 FCFA 981

120.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

$8.32 FCFA 4,869

-27.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.85

$1.37 FCFA 803

1.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 R 36.32

$1.96 FCFA 1,146

12.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

$0.58 FCFA 339

160.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

$17.43 FCFA 10.2K

249.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

$0.59 FCFA 343

6.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

$0.45 FCFA 262

240.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

$6.06 FCFA 3,546

-20.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.08

$1.41 FCFA 826

12.06%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

$32.4K FCFA 19.0M

9.40%

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

$21.3K FCFA 12.5M

49.12%

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

$116 R 1,920

$80.3 FCFA 47.0K

44.95%

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

$28.37 R 468

$17.09 FCFA 9,997

66.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.69 R 671

$51.9 FCFA 30.4K

-21.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.85 R 806

$23.33 FCFA 13.6K

109.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

$7.27 FCFA 4,251

53.09%

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

$8.59 FCFA 5,025

2.79%

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

$261 R 4,314

$610 FCFA 357.1K

-57.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

$2,355 FCFA 1.4M

184.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

$16.95 FCFA 9,915

226.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

$27.00 FCFA 15.8K

19.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

$25.98 FCFA 15.2K

352.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

$55.7 FCFA 32.6K

92.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,015 R 16.7K

$140 FCFA 81.9K

624.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$185 FCFA 108.2K

286.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,801 R 29.7K

$409 FCFA 239.5K

339.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 R 22.0K

$211 FCFA 123.2K

531.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

$847 FCFA 495.6K

175.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

$593 FCFA 347.2K

154.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,636 R 27.0K

$190 FCFA 111.1K

761.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-15.62%

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

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Last update for Yaounde: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$715 45.3%

Yaounde

$185 23.3% 74.1% $530

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$222 14.1%

Yaounde

$253 32% 13.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$185 11.7%

Yaounde

$149 18.8% 19.5% $36

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11%

Yaounde

$85 10.8% 50.9% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Yaounde

$57 7.1% 59.8% $84

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.8%

Yaounde

$23 2.9% 70% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Yaounde

$41 5.1% 39.1% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,015 in Cape Town versus $140 in Yaounde. 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 761% higher in Cape Town, 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 $50.0 in Yaounde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $253 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🕒 Local time

05:23 5:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

1,817,524 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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 = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Yaounde 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Yaounde

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 Yaounde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 99% more than Yaounde, 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 $2,352 per month in Cape Town and $1,183 in Yaounde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yaounde, 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 $789 in Yaounde. That's a gap of about 99%.

Public transport costs about 250% less in Yaounde. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yaounde, where all-in costs run around $789, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Yaounde it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Yaounde costs $789 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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