Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grand Bay and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Grand Bay: $1,176 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Grand Bay
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Grand Bay Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Grand Bay

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$1,176

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,176 per month in Grand Bay vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Grand Bay $1,176
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $2,240 per month in Grand Bay vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Grand Bay $2,240
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $3,304 per month in Grand Bay vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Grand Bay $3,304
Cape Town $3,263

Grand Bay is about 26% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.67 MUR 267

$12.14 R 200

-53.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 MUR 2,951

$45.34 R 747

38.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.00 MUR 330

$5.88 R 96.9

19.05%

Cappuccino

$2.60 MUR 122

$2.50 R 41.18

4.00%

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

$1.18 MUR 55.7

$1.27 R 20.94

-7.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 MUR 29.89

$0.98 R 16.14

-35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.67 MUR 126

$2.99 R 49.33

-10.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.74 MUR 223

$3.72 R 61.4

27.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MUR 65.7

$1.30 R 21.40

7.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 MUR 33.65

$1.25 R 20.68

-43.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.6

$2.23 R 36.76

-50.67%

Eggs

$2.42 MUR 114

$3.11 R 51.2

-22.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.36 MUR 959

$9.06 R 149

124.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.27 MUR 295

$6.92 R 114

-9.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.35 MUR 1,005

$9.30 R 153

129.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 MUR 88.3

$1.84 R 30.25

2.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 MUR 95.7

$1.96 R 32.29

3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 MUR 67.7

$1.67 R 27.45

-13.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 MUR 137

$2.17 R 35.70

34.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 MUR 44.73

$1.57 R 25.81

-39.49%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 MUR 46.62

$1.48 R 24.45

-33.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 MUR 32.89

$1.30 R 21.41

-46.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 MUR 26.59

$1.13 R 18.60

-50.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 MUR 310

$3.60 R 59.3

82.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.28 MUR 390

$6.15 R 101

34.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 MUR 79.4

$1.38 R 22.66

22.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 MUR 95.8

$2.14 R 35.20

-4.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 MUR 48.61

$1.50 R 24.65

-31.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.31 MUR 203

$0.59 R 9.71

630.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 MUR 115

$1.50 R 24.65

62.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$20.86 MUR 982

$5.11 R 84.2

308.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 MUR 66.3

$1.55 R 25.50

-9.03%

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

$34.4K MUR 1.6M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-5.05%

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

$36.3K MUR 1.7M

$31.2K R 514.8K

16.07%

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

$45.51 MUR 2,143

$114 R 1,883

-60.19%

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

$15.73 MUR 741

$28.91 R 476

-45.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.36 MUR 1,383

$39.73 R 654

-26.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.6 MUR 2,713

$49.01 R 808

17.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MUR 305

$9.15 R 151

-29.29%

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

$125 MUR 5,881

$259 R 4,264

-51.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,478 MUR 352.1K

$6,794 R 111.9K

10.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 MUR 2,857

$56.2 R 926

8.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 MUR 2,954

$32.41 R 534

93.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 MUR 5,038

$121 R 1,987

-11.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 MUR 4,084

$108 R 1,781

-19.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$595 MUR 28.0K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-41.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 MUR 21.0K

$717 R 11.8K

-37.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,067 MUR 97.3K

$1,824 R 30.1K

13.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,476 MUR 69.5K

$1,327 R 21.9K

11.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,289 MUR 60.7K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-21.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-45.31%

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

Last update for Grand Bay: 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

Grand Bay

$447 38%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 60.4% $270

Groceries & Markets

Grand Bay

$277 23.6%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 18.8% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Grand Bay

$143 12.1%

Cape Town

$143 9% 0% $0

Eating Out

Grand Bay

$128 10.9%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 37.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grand Bay

$91 7.7%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 102% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Grand Bay

$71 6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 4.6% $3.3

Getting Around

Grand Bay

$21 * 1.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 263% $54

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $595 in Grand Bay 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.

Salaries run about 27% 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 $63.0 in Grand Bay versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $277 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Grand Bay

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

21:46 9:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

2 h behind Grand Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,900

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 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).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Grand Bay Cape Town 4,150 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Grand Bay
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

Grand Bay vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 35% more than Grand Bay, 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 $1,764 per month in Grand Bay and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Grand Bay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,176 in Grand Bay and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 35%.

Kindergarten costs $125 per month in Grand Bay and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Grand Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,176, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Grand Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Grand Bay costs $1,176 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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