Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Djibouti and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,075 in Djibouti, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Djibouti
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Djibouti Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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Djibouti

🇩🇯 Djibouti

$2,075

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,075 per month in Djibouti vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Djibouti $2,075
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $3,212 per month in Djibouti vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Djibouti $3,212
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $4,350 per month in Djibouti vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Djibouti $4,350
Cape Town $3,307

Djibouti costs about 32% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Djibouti and Cape Town sit above the global median – Djibouti by 55%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.64 DJF 1,718

$11.78 R 194

-18.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.1 DJF 13.0K

$46.55 R 768

56.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.30 DJF 2,727

$5.96 R 98.4

156.71%

Cappuccino

$3.47 DJF 618

$2.47 R 40.80

40.49%

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

$1.92 DJF 342

$1.33 R 21.91

44.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 DJF 298

$1.03 R 16.99

62.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.82 DJF 1,215

$3.01 R 49.72

126.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.35 DJF 1,487

$3.66 R 60.4

128.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.80 DJF 499

$1.39 R 22.96

101.44%

White Bread (500g)

$9.45 DJF 1,684

$1.19 R 19.60

694.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 DJF 480

$2.11 R 34.84

27.49%

Eggs

$5.58 DJF 994

$3.01 R 49.58

85.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.58 DJF 1,707

$8.96 R 148

6.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.37 DJF 3,273

$6.65 R 110

176.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.16 DJF 2,166

$9.29 R 153

30.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 DJF 673

$1.83 R 30.13

106.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 DJF 212

$1.90 R 31.31

-37.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 DJF 455

$1.75 R 28.83

45.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 DJF 286

$2.09 R 34.41

-23.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 DJF 289

$1.55 R 25.64

4.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 DJF 302

$1.49 R 24.53

13.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.70 DJF 1,016

$1.30 R 21.41

338.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 DJF 96.3

$1.16 R 19.19

-53.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.92 DJF 342

$3.71 R 61.2

-48.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.40 DJF 3,813

$6.06 R 100

253.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 DJF 415

$1.39 R 22.85

67.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 DJF 616

$2.20 R 36.32

57.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.44 DJF 78.2

$1.51 R 24.98

-70.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.88 DJF 7,462

$61.0 R 1,006

-31.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 DJF 513

$0.63 R 10.33

357.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.68 DJF 1,012

$1.53 R 25.29

271.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.82 DJF 4,957

$4.81 R 79.4

478.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 DJF 408

$1.58 R 26.08

44.94%

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

$34.1K DJF 6.1M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-4.01%

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

$33.3K DJF 5.9M

$31.7K R 523.8K

4.74%

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

$522 DJF 93.0K

$116 R 1,920

348.51%

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

$32.26 DJF 5,748

$28.37 R 468

13.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 DJF 10.5K

$40.69 R 671

45.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$87.3 DJF 15.6K

$48.85 R 806

78.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.46 DJF 5,072

$11.13 R 184

155.71%

Cinema Ticket

$12.56 DJF 2,239

$8.83 R 146

42.24%

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

$335 DJF 59.6K

$261 R 4,314

27.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,967 DJF 1.6M

$6,702 R 110.6K

33.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.53 DJF 7,400

$55.4 R 914

-25.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.33 DJF 3,443

$32.27 R 532

-40.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 DJF 22.4K

$118 R 1,939

6.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.4 DJF 9,868

$107 R 1,766

-48.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$672 DJF 119.7K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-33.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$483 DJF 86.1K

$715 R 11.8K

-32.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$976 DJF 173.9K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-45.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,268 DJF 226.0K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-4.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.2K DJF 2.2M

$2,331 R 38.5K

425.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,053 DJF 1.1M

$1,513 R 25.0K

300.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,870 DJF 511.4K

$1,636 R 27.0K

75.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.07

10.97

19.14%

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

Last update for Djibouti: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Djibouti

$613 29.5%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 69.8% $428

Accommodation & Living

Djibouti

$483 23.3%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 48% $232

Groceries & Markets

Djibouti

$456 21.9%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 51.2% $233

Eating Out

Djibouti

$230 11.1%

Cape Town

$174 11% 24.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Djibouti

$112 5.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 40.9% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Djibouti

$109 5.2%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 29.1% $32

Getting Around

Djibouti

$75 3.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 0.5% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $672 in Djibouti 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 75% higher in Djibouti, 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 $73.0 in Djibouti versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $456 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇯 Djibouti

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

10:58 10:58 AM

1 h behind Djibouti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

475,332 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Djiboutian Franc DJF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 DJF = 5.61 USD

1,000 DJF = 5 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to DJF – Djiboutian Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇯 Djiboutian Franc (Fr)

Djiboutian Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 178 DJF (1,000 DJF = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 200 DJF (1,000 DJF = 5 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 DJF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Djibouti Cape Town 5,700 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Djibouti
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

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

Djibouti costs about 32% more than Cape Town, 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 $3,113 per month in Djibouti 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 Cape Town, 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 $2,075 in Djibouti and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 32%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Djibouti at $2,075. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Djibouti it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $2,075 in Djibouti. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Djibouti makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.