Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Yens

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,568 in Yens, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 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
167

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index

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Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,527 per month in Cape Town vs $3,568 in Yens, rent included.

Cape Town $1,527
Yens $3,568

A couple spends around $2,417 per month in Cape Town vs $5,328 in Yens, rent included.

Cape Town $2,417
Yens $5,328

A family of three spends $3,306 per month in Cape Town vs $7,088 in Yens, rent included.

Cape Town $3,306
Yens $7,088

Cape Town is about 57% cheaper than Yens, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cape Town and Yens sit above the global median – Cape Town by 13%, Yens by 164%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.01 R 198

$29.48 CHF 24.04

-59.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.92 R 707

$116 CHF 94.3

-62.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R 101

$16.12 CHF 13.15

-61.85%

Cappuccino

$2.37 R 39.04

$6.35 CHF 5.18

-62.68%

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

$1.27 R 20.96

$5.07 CHF 4.14

-74.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.46

$4.04 CHF 3.29

-76.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 R 48.77

$9.34 CHF 7.62

-68.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.69 R 60.8

$7.91 CHF 6.45

-53.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R 21.73

$2.26 CHF 1.85

-41.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.21 R 19.87

$3.06 CHF 2.50

-60.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.26

$3.32 CHF 2.71

-33.73%

Eggs

$3.10 R 51.1

$7.55 CHF 6.16

-58.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$24.49 CHF 19.97

-64.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 R 114

$27.77 CHF 22.65

-75.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.26 R 153

$40.09 CHF 32.70

-76.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.08

$3.63 CHF 2.96

-49.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.00 CHF 1.63

-2.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.32

$2.52 CHF 2.06

-34.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 R 35.19

$4.74 CHF 3.86

-54.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 R 26.01

$1.66 CHF 1.35

-4.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.29

$1.97 CHF 1.61

-25.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.18

$2.08 CHF 1.70

-35.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.85

$1.37 CHF 1.12

-16.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 R 59.0

$11.04 CHF 9.00

-67.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.05 R 99.7

$12.38 CHF 10.09

-51.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R 22.95

$2.23 CHF 1.82

-37.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 35.90

$3.05 CHF 2.49

-28.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

$3.99 CHF 3.25

-64.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$107 CHF 87.6

-43.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 R 15.26

$7.99 CHF 6.52

-88.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.83

$4.69 CHF 3.82

-80.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

$85.7 CHF 69.9

-94.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.37

$2.34 CHF 1.91

-34.19%

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

$35.4K R 582.8K

$39.0K CHF 31.8K

-9.43%

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

$33.4K R 549.9K

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

-16.44%

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

$117 R 1,929

$280 CHF 228

-58.20%

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

$25.71 R 424

$28.64 CHF 23.35

-10.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.41 R 649

$53.4 CHF 43.56

-26.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

$76.2 CHF 62.1

-32.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

$47.19 CHF 38.48

-75.95%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 R 146

$24.30 CHF 19.81

-63.42%

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

$308 R 5,069

$2,957 CHF 2,411

-89.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

$35.6K CHF 29.0K

-77.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 946

$143 CHF 116

-59.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 523

$61.4 CHF 50.1

-48.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,911

$141 CHF 115

-17.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,660

$195 CHF 159

-48.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

$1,735 CHF 1,415

-39.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

$1,655 CHF 1,349

-59.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

$2,868 CHF 2,339

-35.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

$2,682 CHF 2,187

-47.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

$16.6K CHF 13.5K

-85.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

$11.5K CHF 9,357

-86.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

1.95

458.46%

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

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Last update for Yens: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Yens

$1.7K 46.4% 147% $986

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Yens

$569 16% 155% $346

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Yens

$362 10.2% 98.8% $180

Eating Out

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Yens

$459 12.9% 164% $285

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$138 9%

Yens

$243 6.8% 76.8% $106

Getting Around

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Yens

$155 4.3% 116% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Yens

$125 3.5% 79.8% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,047 in Cape Town versus $1,735 in Yens. 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 $116 in Yens. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $569 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇨🇭 Yens

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

1 h behind Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

2,200

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 CHF = 1.23 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.815 CHF (1 CHF = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 0.916 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cape Town Yens 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Yens

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 Yens: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yens costs about 134% 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 $2,291 per month in Cape Town and $5,352 in Yens. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,735 in Yens.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,568 in Yens. That makes Cape Town about 57% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,527 in Cape Town and $3,568 in Yens. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Cape Town is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 57% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.