Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hiroshima and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Hiroshima: $961 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Hiroshima
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Hiroshima Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

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Hiroshima

🇯🇵 Japan

$961

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $961 per month in Hiroshima vs $1,599 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hiroshima $961
Cape Town $1,599

A couple spends around $1,557 per month in Hiroshima vs $2,460 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hiroshima $1,557
Cape Town $2,460

A family of three spends $2,152 per month in Hiroshima vs $3,320 in Cape Town, rent included.

Hiroshima $2,152
Cape Town $3,320

Hiroshima is about 40% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Hiroshima sits 29% below the global median, while Cape Town is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.13 ¥969

$12.07 R 199

-49.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.92 ¥5,043

$46.65 R 769

-31.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 ¥801

$6.20 R 102

-18.23%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ¥429

$2.50 R 41.13

8.80%

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

$0.96 ¥152

$1.35 R 22.28

-28.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 ¥109

$1.00 R 16.47

-31.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.74 ¥433

$3.06 R 50.4

-10.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ¥582

$3.67 R 60.5

0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ¥236

$1.30 R 21.45

14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 ¥240

$1.27 R 20.89

19.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.74 ¥748

$2.17 R 35.68

118.43%

Eggs

$2.07 ¥327

$3.09 R 50.9

-33.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.11 ¥808

$8.98 R 148

-43.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.18 ¥976

$6.99 R 115

-11.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ¥1,722

$9.67 R 159

12.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ¥522

$1.87 R 30.78

77.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 ¥313

$1.93 R 31.72

2.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 ¥595

$1.77 R 29.13

112.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 ¥588

$2.18 R 35.86

70.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ¥238

$1.52 R 25.07

-0.66%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 ¥545

$1.56 R 25.63

121.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ¥214

$1.32 R 21.74

2.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥130

$1.15 R 18.97

-27.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥631

$3.72 R 61.4

7.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.70 ¥1,217

$6.01 R 99.0

28.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 ¥303

$1.34 R 22.13

43.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 ¥392

$2.13 R 35.11

16.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.84 ¥290

$1.55 R 25.53

18.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.79 ¥5,181

$61.3 R 1,010

-46.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.68 ¥581

$0.60 R 9.85

513.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 ¥192

$1.54 R 25.36

-20.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.43 ¥3,386

$5.01 R 82.5

327.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥174

$1.60 R 26.33

-31.25%

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

$21.8K ¥3.4M

$35.4K R 583.4K

-38.40%

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

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$34.7K R 570.9K

-57.43%

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

$139 ¥21.9K

$119 R 1,955

17.10%

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

$24.17 ¥3,818

$29.42 R 485

-17.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.93 ¥4,887

$39.81 R 656

-22.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.6 ¥8,315

$50.8 R 836

3.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.65 ¥734

$10.93 R 180

-57.46%

Cinema Ticket

$12.72 ¥2,009

$8.99 R 148

41.49%

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

$155 ¥24.5K

$261 R 4,303

-40.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,400 ¥537.2K

$6,966 R 114.8K

-51.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.67 ¥4,529

$56.1 R 925

-48.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.54 ¥3,877

$33.26 R 548

-26.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$47.85 ¥7,560

$121 R 1,999

-60.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.0 ¥10.1K

$108 R 1,779

-40.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 ¥38.1K

$1,028 R 16.9K

-76.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 ¥29.3K

$720 R 11.9K

-74.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 ¥97.7K

$1,835 R 30.2K

-66.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 ¥80.2K

$1,360 R 22.4K

-62.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,058 ¥483.1K

$2,407 R 39.6K

27.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,406 ¥222.2K

$1,504 R 24.8K

-6.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,973 ¥311.8K

$1,649 R 27.2K

19.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

10.97

-79.85%

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

Last update for Hiroshima: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hiroshima

$255 26.5%

Cape Town

$226 14.2% 11.3% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hiroshima

$194 20.2%

Cape Town

$188 11.8% 3.2% $6.2

Accommodation & Living

Hiroshima

$186 19.3%

Cape Town

$720 45% 288% $534

Eating Out

Hiroshima

$125 13%

Cape Town

$177 11.1% 42.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Hiroshima

$78 8.1%

Cape Town

$69 4.3% 11.9% $9.3

Clothing & Footwear

Hiroshima

$74 7.7%

Cape Town

$143 9% 93.1% $69

Getting Around

Hiroshima

$50 5.2%

Cape Town

$76 4.7% 51.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $241 in Hiroshima versus $1,028 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 20% higher in Hiroshima, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Hiroshima versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Hiroshima vs $226 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Hiroshima

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

03:59 3:59 AM

7 h behind Hiroshima

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,200,754

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hiroshima Cape Town 14,060 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Hiroshima
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

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

Cape Town costs about 66% more than Hiroshima, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,442 per month in Hiroshima and $2,398 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hiroshima, 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 $961 in Hiroshima and $1,599 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 66%.

Public transport costs about 87% less in Hiroshima. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hiroshima, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Hiroshima 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. Hiroshima costs $961 versus $1,599 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 Hiroshima. 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.