Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Crewe and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,207 in Crewe, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Crewe
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,207
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,207 per month in Crewe vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Crewe $2,207
  • Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $3,417 per month in Crewe vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Crewe $3,417
  • Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $4,628 per month in Crewe vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Crewe $4,628
  • Cape Town $3,263

Crewe costs about 39% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Crewe and Cape Town sit above the global median – Crewe by 63%, Cape Town by 17%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Crewe
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.91 £20.19
$12.14 R 200
121.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$91.6 £68.7
$45.34 R 747
102.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.32 £7.74
$5.88 R 96.9
75.51%
Cappuccino
$4.84 £3.63
$2.50 R 41.18
93.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.02 £1.51
$1.27 R 20.94
59.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.36 £1.02
$0.98 R 16.14
38.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.52 £4.89
$2.99 R 49.33
118.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.66 £4.25
$3.72 R 61.4
52.15%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Crewe
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 £1.18
$1.30 R 21.40
21.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 £0.87
$1.25 R 20.68
-7.20%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.31 £1.73
$2.23 R 36.76
3.59%
Eggs
$3.38 £2.54
$3.11 R 51.2
8.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.12 £6.09
$9.06 R 149
-10.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.19 £6.15
$6.92 R 114
18.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.51 £13.13
$9.30 R 153
88.28%
Apples (1kg)
$2.58 £1.94
$1.84 R 30.25
40.22%
Banana (1kg)
$1.29 £0.97
$1.96 R 32.29
-34.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.46 £1.85
$1.67 R 27.45
47.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.94 £2.21
$2.17 R 35.70
35.48%
Potato (1kg)
$1.46 £1.10
$1.57 R 25.81
-7.01%
Onion (1kg)
$1.60 £1.20
$1.48 R 24.45
8.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.05 £0.79
$1.30 R 21.41
-19.23%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 £1.26
$1.13 R 18.60
48.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.87 £17.91
$3.60 R 59.3
563.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.64 £7.98
$6.15 R 101
73.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.01 £2.26
$1.38 R 22.66
118.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.92 £2.94
$2.14 R 35.20
83.18%
🚌 Getting Around
Crewe
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.02 £3.02
$1.50 R 24.65
168.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$58.8 £44.07
$60.8 R 1,001
-3.29%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.26 £3.95
$0.59 R 9.71
791.53%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.76 £2.82
$1.50 R 24.65
150.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.93 £17.95
$5.11 R 84.2
368.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.00 £1.50
$1.55 R 25.50
29.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K £28.8K
$36.2K R 596.5K
6.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.6K £30.5K
$31.2K R 514.8K
29.99%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Crewe
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$445 £334
$114 R 1,883
289.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.35 £11.51
$28.91 R 476
-46.90%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$48.49 £36.38
$39.73 R 654
22.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Crewe
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.2 £39.18
$49.01 R 808
6.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.99 R 181
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.95 £11.22
$9.15 R 151
63.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Crewe
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,202 £901
$259 R 4,264
364.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$19.9K £15.0K
$6,794 R 111.9K
193.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Crewe
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$106 £79.5
$56.2 R 926
88.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.53 £25.15
$32.41 R 534
3.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.4 £60.3
$121 R 1,987
-33.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$98.2 £73.7
$108 R 1,781
-9.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Crewe
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$830 £623
$1,021 R 16.8K
-18.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$722 £542
$717 R 11.8K
0.73%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,776 £1,332
$1,824 R 30.1K
-2.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,547 £1,161
$1,327 R 21.9K
16.64%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,357 £2,519
$2,391 R 39.4K
40.40%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,358 £2,520
$1,542 R 25.4K
117.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Crewe
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,948 £2,212
$1,639 R 27.0K
79.90%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.55
10.97
-49.41%

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

Last update for Crewe: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Crewe
$722
Cape Town
$717 0.7% $5.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Crewe
$509
Cape Town
$183 64.1% $326
Eating Out
Crewe
$362
Cape Town
$176 51.3% $186
Groceries & Markets
Crewe
$289
Cape Town
$225 22.2% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Crewe
$143
Cape Town
$143 0.3% $0.4
Getting Around
Crewe
$99
Cape Town
$75 24.3% $24
Sport & Entertainment
Crewe
$82
Cape Town
$67 18% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Crewe 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 80% higher in Crewe, 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 $92.0 in Crewe versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Crewe
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
11:37 11:37 AM
12:37 12:37 PM
1 h ahead of Crewe
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
75,556
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Crewe Cape Town 9,890 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Crewe
  • 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
Crewe vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Crewe or Cape Town?
Crewe costs about 39% more than Cape Town, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Crewe and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,310 per month in Crewe and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Crewe or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Crewe compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,207 in Crewe and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 39%.
How expensive is transport in Crewe compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 3% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Crewe or in Cape Town?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Crewe at $2,207. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Crewe it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Crewe or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,207 in Crewe. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Crewe compared to Cape Town?
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.
Should I move to Crewe or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Crewe makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Crewe vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?