Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hermanus and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Hermanus: $1,118 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Hermanus
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Hermanus Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Hermanus

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,118

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,118 per month in Hermanus vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hermanus $1,118
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,727 per month in Hermanus vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hermanus $1,727
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,336 per month in Hermanus vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hermanus $2,336
Cape Town $3,263

Hermanus is about 30% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.13 R 216

$12.14 R 200

8.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.89 R 575

$45.34 R 747

-23.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 R 92.1

$5.88 R 96.9

-4.93%

Cappuccino

$2.30 R 37.84

$2.50 R 41.18

-8.00%

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

$1.08 R 17.76

$1.27 R 20.94

-14.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.27

$0.98 R 16.14

-11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 R 36.66

$2.99 R 49.33

-25.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 R 45.61

$3.72 R 61.4

-25.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.66

$1.30 R 21.40

-8.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.47

$1.25 R 20.68

-10.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.18

$2.23 R 36.76

-20.63%

Eggs

$2.44 R 40.15

$3.11 R 51.2

-21.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 R 137

$9.06 R 149

-7.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.98 R 82.0

$6.92 R 114

-28.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.04 R 116

$9.30 R 153

-24.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.07

$1.84 R 30.25

-4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.62

$1.96 R 32.29

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.42

$1.67 R 27.45

7.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.71 R 28.10

$2.17 R 35.70

-21.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.14

$1.57 R 25.81

-6.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.63

$1.48 R 24.45

-3.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 R 19.78

$1.30 R 21.41

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 R 19.28

$1.13 R 18.60

3.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.34 R 55.1

$3.60 R 59.3

-7.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 R 116

$6.15 R 101

14.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R 23.81

$1.38 R 22.66

5.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.12

$2.14 R 35.20

-8.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.34

$1.50 R 24.65

-1.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 R 10.25

$0.59 R 9.71

5.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.46

$1.50 R 24.65

-41.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.54 R 190

$5.11 R 84.2

125.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 24.02

$1.55 R 25.50

-5.81%

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

$36.0K R 593.0K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-0.58%

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

$31.8K R 524.6K

$31.2K R 514.8K

1.90%

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

$145 R 2,395

$114 R 1,883

27.18%

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

$35.60 R 587

$28.91 R 476

23.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.60 R 652

$39.73 R 654

-0.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.12 R 348

$49.01 R 808

-56.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.86 R 228

$10.99 R 181

26.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 R 102

$9.15 R 151

-32.35%

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

$245 R 4,032

$259 R 4,264

-5.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,463 R 90.0K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-19.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 R 860

$56.2 R 926

-7.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.45 R 535

$32.41 R 534

0.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,658

$121 R 1,987

-16.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.9 R 1,431

$108 R 1,781

-19.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 R 6,524

$1,021 R 16.8K

-61.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$359 R 5,923

$717 R 11.8K

-49.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 R 11.8K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-60.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-45.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$888 R 14.6K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-62.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$659 R 10.9K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-57.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

10.97

-0.27%

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

Last update for Hermanus: 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

Hermanus

$359 32.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 99.4% $357

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hermanus

$221 19.7%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 17.1% $38

Groceries & Markets

Hermanus

$197 17.6%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 14.2% $28

Eating Out

Hermanus

$174 15.6%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 1.3% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Hermanus

$122 11%

Cape Town

$143 9% 16.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Hermanus

$34 3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 101% $34

Getting Around

Hermanus

$11 * 1%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 585% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $396 in Hermanus 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 $35.00 in Hermanus versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $225 – making Hermanus the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Hermanus

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:32 5:32 AM

Same time as Hermanus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,139

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hermanus Cape Town 93 km

From you

Hermanus
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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

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

Cape Town costs about 42% more than Hermanus, 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 $1,677 per month in Hermanus 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 Hermanus, 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 $1,118 in Hermanus and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 42%.

Kindergarten costs $245 per month in Hermanus 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 Hermanus, where all-in costs run around $1,118, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Hermanus 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. Hermanus costs $1,118 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 Hermanus. 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.