Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Centurion and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,377 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

67

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,377

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Centurion 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 Centurion and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,377 per month in Centurion vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Centurion $1,377
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,224 per month in Centurion vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Centurion $2,224
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,071 per month in Centurion vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Centurion $3,071
Cape Town $3,263

Centurion is about 13% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Centurion and Cape Town sit above the global median – Centurion by 2%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.13 R 365

$12.14 R 200

82.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.73 R 671

$45.34 R 747

-10.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 R 95.0

$5.88 R 96.9

-2.04%

Cappuccino

$2.57 R 42.33

$2.50 R 41.18

2.80%

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

$0.94 R 15.52

$1.27 R 20.94

-25.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.35

$0.98 R 16.14

-11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 R 34.57

$2.99 R 49.33

-29.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 R 40.42

$3.72 R 61.4

-34.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 R 20.27

$1.30 R 21.40

-5.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 R 20.11

$1.25 R 20.68

-2.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.83

$2.23 R 36.76

-2.69%

Eggs

$3.07 R 50.6

$3.11 R 51.2

-1.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.79 R 161

$9.06 R 149

8.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.29 R 120

$9.30 R 153

-21.61%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 R 29.92

$1.84 R 30.25

-1.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.64

$1.96 R 32.29

-8.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 R 34.88

$1.67 R 27.45

26.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.20

$2.17 R 35.70

-4.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 R 24.98

$1.57 R 25.81

-3.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 R 30.44

$1.48 R 24.45

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 R 22.24

$1.30 R 21.41

3.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 R 23.99

$1.13 R 18.60

29.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 R 62.1

$3.60 R 59.3

4.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 R 97.1

$6.15 R 101

-4.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 R 26.20

$1.38 R 22.66

15.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 R 33.27

$2.14 R 35.20

-5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 R 40.75

$1.50 R 24.65

64.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.9 R 1,613

$60.8 R 1,001

61.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R 20.14

$0.59 R 9.71

106.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.23 R 20.20

$1.50 R 24.65

-18.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.89 R 146

$5.11 R 84.2

73.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 R 24.75

$1.55 R 25.50

-3.23%

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

$35.9K R 591.7K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-0.81%

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

$32.1K R 528.7K

$31.2K R 514.8K

2.70%

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

$137 R 2,260

$114 R 1,883

20.02%

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

$30.65 R 505

$28.91 R 476

6.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.07 R 660

$39.73 R 654

0.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.79 R 721

$49.01 R 808

-10.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$10.73 R 177

$9.15 R 151

17.27%

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

$314 R 5,174

$259 R 4,264

21.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,299 R 70.8K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-36.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 R 965

$56.2 R 926

4.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.75 R 721

$32.41 R 534

34.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 R 1,925

$121 R 1,987

-3.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 R 1,699

$108 R 1,781

-4.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$345 R 5,689

$1,021 R 16.8K

-66.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 R 6,115

$717 R 11.8K

-48.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$575 R 9,479

$1,824 R 30.1K

-68.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$896 R 14.8K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-32.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$518 R 8,536

$2,391 R 39.4K

-78.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$612 R 10.1K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-60.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,342 R 38.6K

$1,639 R 27.0K

42.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

10.97

-4.28%

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

Last update for Centurion: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Centurion

$371 27%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 93.1% $346

Eating Out

Centurion

$248 18%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 28.9% $72

Groceries & Markets

Centurion

$225 16.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 0% $0

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Centurion

$208 15.1%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 12% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Centurion

$145 10.5%

Cape Town

$143 9% 1.6% $2.3

Getting Around

Centurion

$115 8.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 35% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Centurion

$65 4.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 3.2% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $345 in Centurion versus $1,021 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 run about 43% higher in Centurion, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Centurion versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $225 – making Centurion the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Centurion

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:00 4:00 AM

Same time as Centurion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,580

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Centurion Cape Town 1,300 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Centurion
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

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

Cape Town costs about 15% more than Centurion, 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 $2,066 per month in Centurion and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Centurion, 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 $1,377 in Centurion and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 15%.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Centurion. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Centurion, where all-in costs run around $1,377, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Centurion 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. Centurion costs $1,377 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Centurion. 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.