Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Verde and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Verde: $1,123 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in South Africa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

54

Cost of Living Index in Cape Verde
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Cape Verde Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$1,123

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Verde and in South Africa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Verde and in South Africa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,123 per month in Cape Verde vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

Cape Verde $1,123
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $1,700 per month in Cape Verde vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

Cape Verde $1,700
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $2,276 per month in Cape Verde vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

Cape Verde $2,276
South Africa $2,583

Cost ranges are similar: Cape Verde spans $387–$1,195, South Africa $618–$1,556. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Cape Verde is roughly 7% lower than in South Africa on average.

Both Cape Verde and South Africa are more affordable than the global median – Cape Verde 18% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 CVE 540

$10.67 R 177

-48.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 CVE 5,280

$41.66 R 693

28.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 CVE 956

$5.80 R 96.5

66.72%

Cappuccino

$2.42 CVE 239

$2.36 R 39.23

2.54%

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

$2.12 CVE 209

$1.12 R 18.56

89.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 CVE 117

$0.90 R 15.00

32.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.00 CVE 297

$2.42 R 40.20

23.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 CVE 195

$3.06 R 50.9

-35.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 CVE 137

$1.18 R 19.58

17.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 CVE 169

$1.13 R 18.83

51.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 CVE 183

$1.74 R 28.90

6.32%

Eggs

$2.45 CVE 242

$2.57 R 42.80

-4.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.30 CVE 1,315

$8.43 R 140

57.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 CVE 858

$5.12 R 85.1

69.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.49 CVE 1,828

$7.59 R 126

143.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 CVE 310

$1.77 R 29.52

76.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.64 CVE 261

$1.74 R 28.90

51.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 CVE 292

$1.77 R 29.43

66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CVE 380

$1.76 R 29.26

118.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 CVE 147

$1.49 R 24.81

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 CVE 172

$1.47 R 24.38

18.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 CVE 124

$1.23 R 20.52

1.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CVE 121

$1.10 R 18.25

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.97 CVE 492

$3.24 R 54.0

53.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.00 CVE 791

$5.00 R 83.2

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 CVE 204

$1.50 R 24.90

37.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 CVE 177

$1.94 R 32.26

-7.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 CVE 87.7

$1.48 R 24.58

-39.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.02 CVE 2,969

$59.3 R 986

-49.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.98 CVE 196

$1.09 R 18.21

81.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 CVE 253

$0.99 R 16.46

158.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.49 CVE 1,532

$7.46 R 124

107.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 CVE 149

$1.43 R 23.76

5.59%

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

$29.4K CVE 2.9M

$35.3K R 587.4K

-16.80%

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

$38.7K CVE 3.8M

$32.4K R 539.7K

19.36%

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

$148 CVE 14.6K

$133 R 2,208

11.23%

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

$16.86 CVE 1,667

$34.83 R 580

-51.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 CVE 5,222

$39.76 R 662

32.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.34 CVE 2,901

$33.09 R 551

-11.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.86 CVE 778

$11.65 R 194

-32.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.57 CVE 550

$7.18 R 119

-22.42%

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

$147 CVE 14.5K

$224 R 3,728

-34.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,055 CVE 302.1K

$5,462 R 90.9K

-44.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 CVE 5,045

$54.2 R 902

-5.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.45 CVE 2,517

$34.13 R 568

-25.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.7 CVE 6,399

$102 R 1,699

-36.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 CVE 13.5K

$88.5 R 1,472

54.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 CVE 41.4K

$492 R 8,189

-14.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$251 CVE 24.8K

$398 R 6,617

-36.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 CVE 57.1K

$946 R 15.7K

-38.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 CVE 33.0K

$827 R 13.8K

-59.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 CVE 108.6K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-0.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$777 CVE 76.9K

$769 R 12.8K

1.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 CVE 32.1K

$1,502 R 25.0K

-78.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.33

11.23

-34.73%

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

Last update for Cape Verde: October 25, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cape Verde

$307 27.3%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 36.1% $111

Accommodation & Living

Cape Verde

$251 22.4%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 58.5% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Verde

$217 19.4%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 4.6% $10

Eating Out

Cape Verde

$134 11.9%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 17.5% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Verde

$125 11.1%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

Cape Verde

$48 4.3%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 47.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Verde

$40 3.6%

South Africa

$47 4% 17.2% $7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $412 in Cape Verde vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $570 in Praia and $450 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $275 in Cape Verde vs $1,488 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 18% more in Cape Verde.

Public transport is 103% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 5.4 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

3 h ahead of Cape Verde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

555,988

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.11 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 98.88 CVE (100 CVE = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Verde South Africa 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Verde
South Africa

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 Verde vs South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Verde is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 7% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, South Africa costs about 7% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in South Africa. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

Cape Verde is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.