Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: $1,306 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

63

Cost of Living Index in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Democratic Republic of the Congo Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo

$1,306

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: The Democratic Republic of the Congo is 15.2% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 16.7% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: The Democratic Republic of the Congo is 24.7% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 16.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.10 CDF 34.7K

$11.78 R 194

28.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.8 CDF 194.9K

$46.55 R 768

82.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 CDF 23.3K

$5.96 R 98.4

69.97%

Cappuccino

$5.64 CDF 13.0K

$2.47 R 40.80

128.34%

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

$1.81 CDF 4,170

$1.33 R 21.91

36.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 CDF 3,520

$1.03 R 16.99

48.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 CDF 4,724

$3.01 R 49.72

-31.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 CDF 10.5K

$3.66 R 60.4

25.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.12 CDF 4,872

$1.39 R 22.96

52.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 CDF 3,987

$1.19 R 19.60

45.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 CDF 6,043

$2.11 R 34.84

24.64%

Eggs

$3.16 CDF 7,272

$3.01 R 49.58

4.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.32 CDF 19.1K

$8.96 R 148

-7.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 CDF 19.9K

$6.65 R 110

30.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 CDF 23.6K

$9.29 R 153

10.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 CDF 8,077

$1.83 R 30.13

91.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 CDF 5,641

$1.90 R 31.31

28.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.23 CDF 7,433

$1.75 R 28.83

84.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 CDF 6,472

$2.09 R 34.41

34.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.44 CDF 5,608

$1.55 R 25.64

57.42%

Onion (1kg)

$2.77 CDF 6,369

$1.49 R 24.53

85.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CDF 4,702

$1.30 R 21.41

56.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 CDF 2,844

$1.16 R 19.19

6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.39 CDF 10.1K

$3.71 R 61.2

18.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 CDF 33.9K

$6.06 R 100

142.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 CDF 4,237

$1.39 R 22.85

32.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 CDF 7,686

$2.20 R 36.32

51.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.48 CDF 1,114

$1.51 R 24.98

-68.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.33 CDF 42.2K

$61.0 R 1,006

-69.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 CDF 11.8K

$0.63 R 10.33

712.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 CDF 2,986

$1.53 R 25.29

-15.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 CDF 23.4K

$4.81 R 79.4

111.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 CDF 4,025

$1.58 R 26.08

10.76%

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

$20.3K CDF 46.7M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-42.84%

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

$23.2K CDF 53.3M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-27.07%

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

$91.1 CDF 209.4K

$116 R 1,920

-21.76%

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

$20.72 CDF 47.7K

$28.37 R 468

-26.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.5 CDF 162.2K

$40.69 R 671

73.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.8 CDF 132.9K

$48.85 R 806

18.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.24 CDF 48.8K

$11.13 R 184

90.84%

Cinema Ticket

$14.98 CDF 34.5K

$8.83 R 146

69.65%

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

$251 CDF 577.9K

$261 R 4,314

-3.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,049 CDF 11.6M

$6,702 R 110.6K

-24.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.79 CDF 75.4K

$55.4 R 914

-40.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.75 CDF 89.1K

$32.27 R 532

20.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 CDF 165.5K

$118 R 1,939

-38.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 CDF 235.2K

$107 R 1,766

-4.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,596 CDF 3.7M

$1,015 R 16.7K

57.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 CDF 799.0K

$715 R 11.8K

-51.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,618 CDF 8.3M

$1,801 R 29.7K

100.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,507 CDF 3.5M

$1,330 R 22.0K

13.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,653 CDF 8.4M

$2,331 R 38.5K

56.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,004 CDF 2.3M

$1,513 R 25.0K

-33.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$635 CDF 1.5M

$1,636 R 27.0K

-61.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.33

10.97

21.51%

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

Last update for the Democratic Republic of the Congo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living