Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eastleigh and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,416 in Eastleigh, rent and utilities included – about $10,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Eastleigh
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,416
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Eastleigh vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Eastleigh $2,416
  • Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Eastleigh vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Eastleigh $3,509
  • Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $4,601 per month in Eastleigh vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Eastleigh $4,601
  • Cape Town $3,263

Eastleigh costs about 52% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Eastleigh and Cape Town sit above the global median – Eastleigh by 79%, Cape Town by 17%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Eastleigh
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.44 £17.58
$12.14 R 200
93.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.0 £59.3
$45.34 R 747
74.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.38 £7.04
$5.88 R 96.9
59.52%
Cappuccino
$4.71 £3.53
$2.50 R 41.18
88.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 £1.97
$1.27 R 20.94
106.30%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 £0.61
$0.98 R 16.14
-16.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.36 £4.02
$2.99 R 49.33
79.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.37 £4.03
$3.72 R 61.4
44.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Eastleigh
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 £1.28
$1.30 R 21.40
31.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 £1.43
$1.25 R 20.68
52.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 £1.53
$2.23 R 36.76
-8.97%
Eggs
$3.26 £2.44
$3.11 R 51.2
4.82%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.70 £3.52
$9.06 R 149
-48.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.47 £7.86
$6.92 R 114
51.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.52 £15.40
$9.30 R 153
120.65%
Apples (1kg)
$4.37 £3.28
$1.84 R 30.25
137.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 £1.06
$1.96 R 32.29
-27.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 £1.40
$1.67 R 27.45
11.98%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.47 £2.60
$2.17 R 35.70
59.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.18
$1.57 R 25.81
0.64%
Onion (1kg)
$1.85 £1.39
$1.48 R 24.45
25.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.50 £1.13
$1.30 R 21.41
15.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 £1.07
$1.13 R 18.60
26.55%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.89 £17.92
$3.60 R 59.3
563.61%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.46 £8.60
$6.15 R 101
86.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$1.38 R 22.66
129.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 £2.28
$2.14 R 35.20
41.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Eastleigh
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.54 £2.66
$1.50 R 24.65
136.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.3 £71.5
$60.8 R 1,001
56.91%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.93 £3.70
$0.59 R 9.71
735.59%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.07 £1.55
$1.50 R 24.65
38.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.17 £19.63
$5.11 R 84.2
412.13%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 £1.53
$1.55 R 25.50
32.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.8K £28.3K
$36.2K R 596.5K
4.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.6K
$31.2K R 514.8K
30.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Eastleigh
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$379 £284
$114 R 1,883
231.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.86 £17.90
$28.91 R 476
-17.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.6 £37.95
$39.73 R 654
27.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Eastleigh
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.96 £34.48
$49.01 R 808
-6.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.98 £8.99
$10.99 R 181
9.01%
Cinema Ticket
$17.59 £13.20
$9.15 R 151
92.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Eastleigh
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,303 £978
$259 R 4,264
403.45%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K £16.9K
$6,794 R 111.9K
231.66%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Eastleigh
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$65.5 £49.15
$56.2 R 926
16.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.68 £34.27
$32.41 R 534
40.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.5 £53.6
$121 R 1,987
-40.71%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 £59.7
$108 R 1,781
-26.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Eastleigh
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,224 £918
$1,021 R 16.8K
19.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$999 £749
$717 R 11.8K
39.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,091 £1,568
$1,824 R 30.1K
14.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,637 £1,228
$1,327 R 21.9K
23.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,052 £3,790
$2,391 R 39.4K
111.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,835 £2,877
$1,542 R 25.4K
148.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Eastleigh
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,639 R 27.0K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.54
10.97
-49.50%

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

Last update for Eastleigh: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Eastleigh
$999
Cape Town
$717 28.2% $282
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Eastleigh
$453
Cape Town
$183 59.6% $270
Eating Out
Eastleigh
$323
Cape Town
$176 45.5% $147
Groceries & Markets
Eastleigh
$317
Cape Town
$225 29% $92
Getting Around
Eastleigh
$125
Cape Town
$75 40% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Eastleigh
$118
Cape Town
$143 21% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Eastleigh
$81
Cape Town
$67 17.1% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,224 in Eastleigh 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Eastleigh versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Eastleigh
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
02:43 2:43 AM
03:43 3:43 AM
1 h ahead of Eastleigh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
123,160
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
  • Eastleigh Cape Town 9,640 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Eastleigh
  • 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
Eastleigh vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Eastleigh or Cape Town?
Eastleigh costs about 52% 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 Eastleigh and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,624 per month in Eastleigh 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, Eastleigh 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 Eastleigh compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,416 in Eastleigh and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 52%.
How expensive is transport in Eastleigh compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 57% 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 Eastleigh or in Cape Town?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Eastleigh at $2,416. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Eastleigh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Eastleigh or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,416 in Eastleigh. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Eastleigh 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 Eastleigh or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Eastleigh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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