Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between George and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in George: $1,110 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in George
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George Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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George

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,110

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,110 per month in George vs $1,556 in Cape Town, rent included.

George $1,110
Cape Town $1,556

A couple spends around $1,847 per month in George vs $2,432 in Cape Town, rent included.

George $1,847
Cape Town $2,432

A family of three spends $2,584 per month in George vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

George $2,584
Cape Town $3,307

George is about 29% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

George sits 18% below the global median, while Cape Town is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.85 R 181

$12.09 R 202

-10.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.91 R 700

$44.34 R 741

-5.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.95 R 82.6

$6.15 R 103

-19.51%

Cappuccino

$2.13 R 35.61

$2.36 R 39.41

-9.75%

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

$1.05 R 17.60

$1.26 R 21.12

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 R 12.96

$1.00 R 16.63

-22.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.70 R 45.14

$3.08 R 51.5

-12.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 R 54.3

$3.70 R 61.8

-12.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 R 19.16

$1.34 R 22.47

-14.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.93

$1.19 R 19.94

-15.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 R 25.12

$2.10 R 35.11

-28.57%

Eggs

$2.79 R 46.67

$3.05 R 50.9

-8.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.68 R 145

$8.73 R 146

-0.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 R 88.3

$6.97 R 116

-24.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 R 112

$9.39 R 157

-28.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.68 R 28.02

$1.89 R 31.52

-11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.82

$1.88 R 31.40

-17.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.89

$1.69 R 28.15

-11.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.91

$2.04 R 34.16

-15.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.51

$1.57 R 26.19

8.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.34

$1.48 R 24.72

-5.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.83

$1.28 R 21.42

-2.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.62

$1.19 R 19.87

-16.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.20 R 53.4

$3.63 R 60.6

-11.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.97 R 83.1

$6.17 R 103

-19.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R 21.46

$1.39 R 23.20

-7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.20

$2.18 R 36.42

-19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.65

$1.37 R 22.89

8.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.91 R 466

$61.3 R 1,024

-54.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 R 10.68

$0.57 R 9.60

12.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 R 7.95

$1.48 R 24.68

-67.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.64 R 144

$4.90 R 81.8

76.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R 20.89

$1.58 R 26.36

-20.89%

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

$29.9K R 499.8K

$34.7K R 579.9K

-13.82%

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

$30.0K R 500.9K

$34.1K R 569.7K

-12.08%

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

$123 R 2,054

$117 R 1,953

5.16%

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

$17.56 R 293

$28.35 R 474

-38.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.26 R 773

$40.58 R 678

14.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.43 R 508

$48.54 R 811

-37.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.78 R 180

$10.80 R 181

-0.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.93 R 99.0

$9.11 R 152

-34.91%

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

$139 R 2,326

$302 R 5,045

-53.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,219 R 87.2K

$6,720 R 112.3K

-22.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.1 R 1,204

$55.2 R 923

30.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.64 R 646

$32.70 R 546

18.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 R 1,866

$118 R 1,970

-5.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 R 1,450

$104 R 1,736

-16.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 R 7,169

$1,041 R 17.4K

-58.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$362 R 6,056

$691 R 11.5K

-47.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 R 12.9K

$1,981 R 33.1K

-61.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.6K

$1,388 R 23.2K

-32.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$855 R 14.3K

$2,420 R 40.4K

-64.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$690 R 11.5K

$1,552 R 25.9K

-55.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 R 22.4K

$1,576 R 26.3K

-15.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.92

10.97

-0.46%

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

Last update for George: October 24, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

George

$362 32.6%

Cape Town

$691 44.4% 90.6% $328

Groceries & Markets

George

$188 17%

Cape Town

$224 14.4% 18.7% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

George

$187 16.8%

Cape Town

$186 11.9% 0.5% $0.9

Eating Out

George

$155 13.9%

Cape Town

$175 11.3% 13.4% $21

Clothing & Footwear

George

$139 12.5%

Cape Town

$139 9% 0.2% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

George

$42 3.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.3% 57.9% $24

Getting Around

George

$37 3.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 103% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $429 in George versus $1,041 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 18% higher in Cape Town, 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 $42 in George versus $44 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $224 – making George the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 George

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

23:59 11:59 PM

Same time as George

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,580

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

George Cape Town 370 km

From you

George
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

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

Cape Town costs about 40% more than George, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,666 per month in George and $2,335 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in George, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $429 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,110 in George and $1,556 in Cape Town. That makes George about 29% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 54% less in George. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in George, where all-in costs run around $1,110, than in Cape Town at $1,556. In George it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward George – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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