Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dakar and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Dakar: $1,429 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

69

Cost of Living Index in Dakar
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Dakar Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Dakar

🇸🇳 Senegal

$1,429

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,429 per month in Dakar vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dakar $1,429
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,206 per month in Dakar vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dakar $2,206
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $2,983 per month in Dakar vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Dakar $2,983
Cape Town $3,307

Dakar is about 9% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dakar and Cape Town sit above the global median – Dakar by 7%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.25 F CFA 3,071

$11.78 R 194

-55.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 F CFA 30.8K

$46.55 R 768

13.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 F CFA 6,444

$5.96 R 98.4

84.73%

Cappuccino

$3.28 F CFA 1,921

$2.47 R 40.80

32.79%

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

$1.25 F CFA 729

$1.33 R 21.91

-6.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 F CFA 499

$1.03 R 16.99

-17.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.62 F CFA 1,535

$3.01 R 49.72

-12.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.31 F CFA 2,521

$3.66 R 60.4

17.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.50 F CFA 1,465

$1.39 R 22.96

79.86%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 F CFA 439

$1.19 R 19.60

-36.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 F CFA 979

$2.11 R 34.84

-20.85%

Eggs

$2.40 F CFA 1,403

$3.01 R 49.58

-20.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.32 F CFA 10.1K

$8.96 R 148

93.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 F CFA 5,336

$6.65 R 110

37.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.17 F CFA 6,533

$9.29 R 153

20.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 F CFA 1,858

$1.83 R 30.13

73.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 F CFA 1,126

$1.90 R 31.31

1.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.87 F CFA 1,681

$1.75 R 28.83

64.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 F CFA 1,011

$2.09 R 34.41

-17.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 F CFA 812

$1.55 R 25.64

-10.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 F CFA 535

$1.49 R 24.53

-38.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 F CFA 643

$1.30 R 21.41

-15.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 F CFA 380

$1.16 R 19.19

-43.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.11 F CFA 1,236

$3.71 R 61.2

-43.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.95 F CFA 9,919

$6.06 R 100

179.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 F CFA 937

$1.39 R 22.85

15.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 F CFA 1,966

$2.20 R 36.32

52.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 F CFA 240

$1.51 R 24.98

-72.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.5 F CFA 45.3K

$61.0 R 1,006

27.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 F CFA 1,243

$0.63 R 10.33

236.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 F CFA 1,282

$1.53 R 25.29

43.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.08 F CFA 9,996

$4.81 R 79.4

255.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 F CFA 992

$1.58 R 26.08

7.59%

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

$50.4K F CFA 29.5M

$35.5K R 585.7K

42.09%

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

$47.7K F CFA 27.9M

$31.7K R 523.8K

50.31%

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

$200 F CFA 117.1K

$116 R 1,920

72.04%

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

$11.58 F CFA 6,774

$28.37 R 468

-59.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.09 F CFA 27.0K

$40.69 R 671

13.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.68 F CFA 26.1K

$48.85 R 806

-8.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.24 F CFA 13.6K

$11.13 R 184

108.81%

Cinema Ticket

$8.56 F CFA 5,010

$8.83 R 146

-3.06%

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

$325 F CFA 189.9K

$261 R 4,314

24.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K F CFA 6.0M

$6,702 R 110.6K

53.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 F CFA 34.0K

$55.4 R 914

4.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.29 F CFA 27.1K

$32.27 R 532

43.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.9 F CFA 49.1K

$118 R 1,939

-28.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.1 F CFA 55.6K

$107 R 1,766

-11.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 F CFA 482.2K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-18.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$436 F CFA 255.4K

$715 R 11.8K

-38.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,757 F CFA 1.0M

$1,801 R 29.7K

-2.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 F CFA 535.6K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-31.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,961 F CFA 2.9M

$2,331 R 38.5K

112.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,492 F CFA 872.9K

$1,513 R 25.0K

-1.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 F CFA 200.9K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-79.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

10.97

-20.24%

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

Last update for Dakar: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dakar

$436 30.9%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 63.9% $279

Groceries & Markets

Dakar

$294 20.8%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 24.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dakar

$258 18.2%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 28.1% $72

Eating Out

Dakar

$145 10.2%

Cape Town

$174 11% 20.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Dakar

$128 9%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 10.2% $13

Getting Around

Dakar

$92 6.5%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 18.4% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Dakar

$62 4.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 7.6% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $824 in Dakar versus $1,015 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 377% higher in Cape Town, 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 $53.0 in Dakar versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $294 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Dakar

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

2 h ahead of Dakar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,396,800 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dakar Cape Town 6,610 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dakar
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

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

Cape Town costs about 10% more than Dakar, 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 $2,144 per month in Dakar and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dakar, 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 $1,429 in Dakar and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Dakar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Dakar, where all-in costs run around $1,429, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Dakar 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. Dakar costs $1,429 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Dakar. 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.