Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dundee and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,033 in Dundee, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Dundee
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,033
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,568
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,033 per month in Dundee vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Dundee $2,033
  • Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $3,059 per month in Dundee vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Dundee $3,059
  • Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $4,084 per month in Dundee vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Dundee $4,084
  • Cape Town $3,307

Dundee costs about 30% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dundee and Cape Town sit above the global median – Dundee by 52%, Cape Town by 17%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dundee
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$21.00 £15.87
$11.78 R 194
78.27%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.4 £60.0
$46.55 R 768
70.48%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.38 £7.84
$5.96 R 98.4
74.16%
Cappuccino
$4.42 £3.34
$2.47 R 40.80
78.95%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.58 £1.95
$1.33 R 21.91
93.98%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 £0.98
$1.03 R 16.99
26.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.79 £4.38
$3.01 R 49.72
92.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.02 £4.55
$3.66 R 60.4
64.48%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dundee
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.02 £1.53
$1.39 R 22.96
45.32%
White Bread (500g)
$1.77 £1.34
$1.19 R 19.60
48.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.67 £2.02
$2.11 R 34.84
26.54%
Eggs
$5.39 £4.07
$3.01 R 49.58
79.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.47 £5.65
$8.96 R 148
-16.63%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.45 £7.14
$6.65 R 110
42.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.30 £11.56
$9.29 R 153
64.69%
Apples (1kg)
$2.45 £1.85
$1.83 R 30.13
33.88%
Banana (1kg)
$2.30 £1.74
$1.90 R 31.31
21.05%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.78 £2.10
$1.75 R 28.83
58.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.74 £2.07
$2.09 R 34.41
31.10%
Potato (1kg)
$3.16 £2.39
$1.55 R 25.64
103.87%
Onion (1kg)
$2.11 £1.60
$1.49 R 24.53
41.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.84 £1.39
$1.30 R 21.41
41.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.35 £1.78
$1.16 R 19.19
102.59%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.04 £17.41
$3.71 R 61.2
521.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.92 £9.01
$6.06 R 100
96.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.15 £2.38
$1.39 R 22.85
126.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 £2.49
$2.20 R 36.32
49.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Dundee
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.39 £2.56
$1.51 R 24.98
124.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$58.1 £43.87
$61.0 R 1,006
-4.77%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.67 £3.53
$0.63 R 10.33
641.27%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.84 £2.90
$1.53 R 25.29
150.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.96 £19.62
$4.81 R 79.4
439.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.04 £1.54
$1.58 R 26.08
29.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K £28.8K
$35.5K R 585.7K
7.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K £30.6K
$31.7K R 523.8K
27.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dundee
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$237 £179
$116 R 1,920
104.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.16 £9.94
$28.37 R 468
-53.61%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.84 £32.38
$40.69 R 671
5.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dundee
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.99 £36.26
$48.85 R 806
-1.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.17 £5.42
$11.13 R 184
-35.58%
Cinema Ticket
$13.18 £9.96
$8.83 R 146
49.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dundee
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,901 £1,436
$261 R 4,314
626.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$6,702 R 110.6K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dundee
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.1 £74.9
$55.4 R 914
78.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.3 £42.57
$32.27 R 532
74.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$122 £92.0
$118 R 1,939
3.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$89.1 £67.3
$107 R 1,766
-16.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dundee
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,052 £795
$1,015 R 16.7K
3.70%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$813 £614
$715 R 11.8K
13.62%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,632 £1,233
$1,801 R 29.7K
-9.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,251 £945
$1,330 R 22.0K
-6.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,117 £3,111
$2,331 R 38.5K
76.65%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,266 £2,468
$1,513 R 25.0K
115.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dundee
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,163 £2,390
$1,636 R 27.0K
93.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.41
10.97
-50.68%

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

Last update for Dundee: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Dundee
$813
Cape Town
$715 12% $97
Groceries & Markets
Dundee
$332
Cape Town
$222 33% $110
Eating Out
Dundee
$309
Cape Town
$174 43.7% $135
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dundee
$293
Cape Town
$185 36.8% $108
Clothing & Footwear
Dundee
$165
Cape Town
$141 14.8% $24
Getting Around
Dundee
$95
Cape Town
$75 21.1% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Dundee
$74
Cape Town
$67 10.5% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,052 in Dundee 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 93% higher in Dundee, 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 $79.0 in Dundee versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $332 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Dundee
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
04:12 4:12 AM
05:12 5:12 AM
1 h ahead of Dundee
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
148,280
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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dundee Cape Town 10,250 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Dundee
  • 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
Dundee vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Dundee or Cape Town?
Dundee costs about 30% 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 Dundee and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,050 per month in Dundee and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Dundee 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 Dundee compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,033 in Dundee and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 30%.
How expensive is transport in Dundee compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 5% 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 Dundee or in Cape Town?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Dundee at $2,033. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dundee it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Dundee or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $2,033 in Dundee. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Dundee 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 Dundee or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dundee makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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