Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fribourg and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,530 in Fribourg, rent and utilities included – about $24,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

168

Cost of Living Index in Fribourg
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Fribourg Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Fribourg

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,530

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,530 per month in Fribourg vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Fribourg $3,530
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $5,160 per month in Fribourg vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Fribourg $5,160
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $6,789 per month in Fribourg vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Fribourg $6,789
Cape Town $3,306

Fribourg costs about 131% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Fribourg and Cape Town sit above the global median – Fribourg by 161%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.96 CHF 24.43

$12.01 R 198

149.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 99.1

$42.92 R 707

183.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.11 CHF 13.14

$6.15 R 101

161.95%

Cappuccino

$6.32 CHF 5.15

$2.37 R 39.04

166.67%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.22

$1.27 R 20.96

307.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 CHF 4.33

$0.94 R 15.46

464.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.18 CHF 5.85

$2.96 R 48.77

142.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.83 CHF 5.57

$3.69 R 60.8

85.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.25 CHF 1.83

$1.32 R 21.73

70.45%

White Bread (500g)

$3.29 CHF 2.68

$1.21 R 19.87

171.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.87

$2.20 R 36.26

60.00%

Eggs

$7.40 CHF 6.04

$3.10 R 51.1

138.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.30 CHF 19.81

$8.73 R 144

178.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.33 CHF 20.66

$6.89 R 114

267.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$37.26 CHF 30.38

$9.26 R 153

302.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.56 CHF 2.90

$1.83 R 30.08

94.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 CHF 1.34

$1.95 R 32.12

-15.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 CHF 2.11

$1.66 R 27.32

55.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 CHF 3.75

$2.14 R 35.19

114.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 CHF 1.40

$1.58 R 26.01

8.86%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 CHF 1.71

$1.47 R 24.29

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 CHF 1.83

$1.35 R 22.18

66.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 CHF 0.98

$1.14 R 18.85

5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 CHF 8.93

$3.58 R 59.0

206.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 CHF 8.55

$6.05 R 99.7

73.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.62 CHF 2.95

$1.39 R 22.95

160.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 CHF 2.01

$2.18 R 35.90

13.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.64 CHF 2.97

$1.40 R 23.02

160.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 CHF 70.3

$60.8 R 1,001

41.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.31 CHF 10.04

$0.93 R 15.26

1223.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.90 CHF 3.99

$0.90 R 14.83

444.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 CHF 1.88

$1.54 R 25.37

49.35%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.1K

$35.4K R 582.8K

11.19%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.3K

$33.4K R 549.9K

18.57%

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

$343 CHF 279

$117 R 1,929

192.64%

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

$42.40 CHF 34.58

$25.71 R 424

64.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.3 CHF 46.71

$39.41 R 649

45.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.4 CHF 63.1

$51.6 R 850

49.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$21.17 CHF 17.26

$8.89 R 146

138.13%

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

$2,813 CHF 2,294

$308 R 5,069

814.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 CHF 81.9

$57.4 R 946

75.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$98.4 CHF 80.2

$31.75 R 523

209.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$248 CHF 202

$116 R 1,911

113.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 CHF 161

$101 R 1,660

96.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 CHF 1,475

$1,047 R 17.2K

72.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,538 CHF 1,254

$669 R 11.0K

129.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,713 CHF 2,212

$1,861 R 30.7K

45.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 CHF 1,886

$1,407 R 23.2K

64.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.8K CHF 11.2K

$2,410 R 39.7K

471.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.4K CHF 8,455

$1,570 R 25.9K

560.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,889 CHF 5,617

$1,630 R 26.9K

322.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.31

10.89

-78.79%

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

Last update for Fribourg: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fribourg

$1.5K 43.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 56.5% $869

Groceries & Markets

Fribourg

$548 15.5%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 59.3% $325

Eating Out

Fribourg

$455 12.9%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 61.8% $281

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fribourg

$442 12.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 58.8% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Fribourg

$290 8.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 52.5% $152

Getting Around

Fribourg

$138 3.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 47.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Fribourg

$120 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 42% $50

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,809 in Fribourg versus $1,047 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 in Fribourg are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $122 in Fribourg versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $548 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Fribourg

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

1 h ahead of Fribourg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,485

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.23 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.815 CHF (1 CHF = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 0.916 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Fribourg Cape Town 9,050 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Fribourg
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

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

Fribourg costs about 131% 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 $5,296 per month in Fribourg and $2,291 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,809 in Fribourg.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,530 in Fribourg and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 57% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,530 in Fribourg and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $3,530 in Fribourg. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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