Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grahamstown and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Grahamstown: $1,120 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Grahamstown
Learn more

Grahamstown Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Grahamstown

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,120

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,120 per month in Grahamstown vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Grahamstown $1,120
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,775 per month in Grahamstown vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Grahamstown $1,775
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,430 per month in Grahamstown vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Grahamstown $2,430
Cape Town $3,306

Grahamstown is about 27% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Grahamstown sits 17% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.93 R 182

$12.01 R 200

-8.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.85 R 697

$42.92 R 715

-2.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 R 101

$6.15 R 103

-1.79%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 36.20

$2.37 R 39.48

-8.44%

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

$1.05 R 17.45

$1.27 R 21.20

-17.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.97

$0.94 R 15.63

-23.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.75 R 45.80

$2.96 R 49.31

-7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 R 51.7

$3.69 R 61.5

-15.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.55

$1.32 R 21.98

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 R 16.67

$1.21 R 20.09

-17.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.75

$2.20 R 36.66

-32.27%

Eggs

$2.72 R 45.36

$3.10 R 51.7

-12.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.51 R 142

$8.73 R 146

-2.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.34 R 89.1

$6.89 R 115

-22.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.25 R 137

$9.26 R 154

-10.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 R 35.92

$1.83 R 30.41

18.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.31

$1.95 R 32.49

-22.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 R 27.18

$1.66 R 27.63

-1.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.76

$2.14 R 35.58

-16.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 R 28.02

$1.58 R 26.30

6.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 R 22.90

$1.47 R 24.57

-6.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.39

$1.35 R 22.43

-9.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R 16.84

$1.14 R 19.07

-11.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 R 54.3

$3.58 R 59.6

-8.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 79.0

$6.05 R 101

-21.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.16

$1.39 R 23.21

-8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 R 29.87

$2.18 R 36.31

-17.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 R 24.84

$1.40 R 23.27

6.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,012

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 R 14.18

$0.93 R 15.43

-8.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 R 7.67

$0.90 R 15.00

-48.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.54 R 142

$4.96 R 82.7

72.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.87

$1.54 R 25.66

-3.25%

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

$34.6K R 576.9K

$35.4K R 589.3K

-2.10%

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

$35.2K R 587.2K

$33.4K R 556.1K

5.60%

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

$121 R 2,013

$117 R 1,951

3.19%

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

$34.27 R 571

$25.71 R 428

33.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.91 R 748

$39.41 R 657

13.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.56 R 593

$51.6 R 860

-31.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.03 R 184

$11.35 R 189

-2.82%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 R 175

$8.89 R 148

17.89%

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

$175 R 2,924

$308 R 5,126

-42.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,021 R 83.7K

$8,141 R 135.7K

-38.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 R 1,186

$57.4 R 956

24.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 R 649

$31.75 R 529

22.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 R 1,849

$116 R 1,932

-4.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.8 R 1,630

$101 R 1,678

-2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R 6,577

$1,047 R 17.4K

-62.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 R 5,944

$669 R 11.2K

-46.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 R 12.4K

$1,861 R 31.0K

-60.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.4K

$1,407 R 23.4K

-47.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$727 R 12.1K

$2,410 R 40.2K

-69.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$741 R 12.3K

$1,570 R 26.2K

-52.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,205 R 20.1K

$1,630 R 27.2K

-26.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

10.89

9.64%

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

Last update for Grahamstown: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Grahamstown

$357 31.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 87.6% $312

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grahamstown

$200 17.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 8.9% $18

Groceries & Markets

Grahamstown

$195 17.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 14.4% $28

Eating Out

Grahamstown

$159 14.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 9.7% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Grahamstown

$144 12.8%

Cape Town

$138 9% 4.1% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Grahamstown

$57 5.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 22.8% $13

Getting Around

Grahamstown

$9.1 * 0.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 688% $63

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $395 in Grahamstown 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 run about 35% 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 Grahamstown versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $195 vs $223 – making Grahamstown the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Grahamstown

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

Same time as Grahamstown

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,264

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Grahamstown Cape Town 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Grahamstown
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

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

Cape Town costs about 36% more than Grahamstown, 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 $1,679 per month in Grahamstown 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 Grahamstown, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,120 in Grahamstown and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Grahamstown about 27% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Cape Town, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,120 in Grahamstown and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Grahamstown – 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 Grahamstown. 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.