Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caraguatatuba and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Caraguatatuba: $775 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Caraguatatuba
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Caraguatatuba Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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Caraguatatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$775

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $775 per month in Caraguatatuba vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Caraguatatuba $775
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,257 per month in Caraguatatuba vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Caraguatatuba $1,257
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,738 per month in Caraguatatuba vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Caraguatatuba $1,738
Cape Town $3,306

Caraguatatuba is about 49% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Caraguatatuba sits 43% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.01 R$38.58

$12.01 R 199

-41.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.33 R$145

$42.92 R 709

-38.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.43 R$46.37

$6.15 R 102

37.07%

Cappuccino

$2.22 R$12.21

$2.37 R 39.16

-6.33%

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

$1.14 R$6.28

$1.27 R 21.03

-10.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.73

$0.94 R 15.50

-8.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 R$12.60

$2.96 R 48.92

-22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 R$16.11

$3.69 R 61.0

-20.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.49

$1.32 R 21.80

-24.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 R$7.98

$1.21 R 19.93

19.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.76

$2.20 R 36.37

-44.09%

Eggs

$1.84 R$10.14

$3.10 R 51.3

-40.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.49 R$30.22

$8.73 R 144

-37.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.08 R$16.97

$6.89 R 114

-55.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.64 R$42.03

$9.26 R 153

-17.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 R$10.64

$1.83 R 30.17

5.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R$8.78

$1.95 R 32.22

-17.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.80

$1.66 R 27.40

-14.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 R$7.17

$2.14 R 35.30

-39.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.46

$1.58 R 26.09

-25.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.20

$1.47 R 24.37

-48.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 R$3.67

$1.35 R 22.25

-50.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.89

$1.14 R 18.91

-37.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 R$10.56

$3.58 R 59.1

-46.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.40 R$35.24

$6.05 R 100

5.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 R$8.06

$1.39 R 23.02

5.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 R$13.23

$2.18 R 36.01

10.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.23

$1.40 R 23.09

-32.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.32 R$117

$60.8 R 1,004

-64.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.05 R$5.77

$0.93 R 15.31

12.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 R$3.65

$0.90 R 14.88

-26.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.28 R$18.08

$4.96 R 82.0

-33.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 R$6.48

$1.54 R 25.45

-23.38%

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

$14.5K R$79.8K

$35.4K R 584.6K

-58.99%

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

$27.7K R$152.7K

$33.4K R 551.6K

-16.87%

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

$61.9 R$341

$117 R 1,935

-47.14%

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

$12.13 R$66.8

$25.71 R 425

-52.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.37 R$118

$39.41 R 651

-45.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.88 R$109

$51.6 R 853

-61.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.15 R$83.4

$11.35 R 188

33.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R$40.22

$8.89 R 147

-17.77%

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

$207 R$1,139

$308 R 5,085

-32.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,930 R$21.6K

$8,141 R 134.6K

-51.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 R$291

$57.4 R 948

-7.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.9 R$291

$31.75 R 525

66.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 R$402

$116 R 1,917

-36.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.1 R$298

$101 R 1,665

-46.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$2,149

$1,047 R 17.3K

-62.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 R$1,175

$669 R 11.1K

-68.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 R$4,361

$1,861 R 30.8K

-57.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 R$2,650

$1,407 R 23.3K

-65.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,571 R$8,649

$2,410 R 39.8K

-34.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,149 R$6,323

$1,570 R 25.9K

-26.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 R$1,724

$1,630 R 26.9K

-80.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.15

10.89

-25.16%

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

Last update for Caraguatatuba: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Caraguatatuba

$214 27.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 213% $456

Groceries & Markets

Caraguatatuba

$164 21.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 36% $59

Eating Out

Caraguatatuba

$133 17.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 30.6% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Caraguatatuba

$105 13.5%

Cape Town

$138 9% 31.3% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caraguatatuba

$95 12.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 91% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Caraguatatuba

$35 4.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 101% $35

Getting Around

Caraguatatuba

$29 3.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 143% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $391 in Caraguatatuba versus $1,047 in Cape Town. 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 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Caraguatatuba versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $164 vs $223 – making Caraguatatuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Caraguatatuba

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

20:35 8:35 PM

5 h ahead of Caraguatatuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,873

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Caraguatatuba Cape Town 6,230 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Caraguatatuba
Cape Town

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

Caraguatatuba vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 97% more than Caraguatatuba, 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 $1,163 per month in Caraguatatuba and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caraguatatuba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $391 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $775 in Caraguatatuba and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Caraguatatuba about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 65% less in Caraguatatuba. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Caraguatatuba, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Caraguatatuba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Caraguatatuba – 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 Caraguatatuba. 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.