Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ipswich and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,326 in Ipswich, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Ipswich
Learn more

Ipswich Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Ipswich

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,326

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,326 per month in Ipswich vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ipswich $2,326
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $3,452 per month in Ipswich vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ipswich $3,452
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $4,577 per month in Ipswich vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ipswich $4,577
Cape Town $3,263

Ipswich costs about 47% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ipswich and Cape Town sit above the global median – Ipswich by 72%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.17 £15.89

$12.14 R 200

74.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 £80.8

$45.34 R 747

137.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 £7.94

$5.88 R 96.9

79.93%

Cappuccino

$5.73 £4.30

$2.50 R 41.18

129.20%

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

$1.71 £1.28

$1.27 R 20.94

34.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.98 R 16.14

86.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.53 £4.90

$2.99 R 49.33

118.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.92 £5.19

$3.72 R 61.4

86.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 £1.28

$1.30 R 21.40

31.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 £1.24

$1.25 R 20.68

32.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 £1.20

$2.23 R 36.76

-28.25%

Eggs

$4.34 £3.26

$3.11 R 51.2

39.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.59 £9.45

$9.06 R 149

38.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.82 £6.62

$6.92 R 114

27.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.17 £11.38

$9.30 R 153

63.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$1.84 R 30.25

63.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 £1.10

$1.96 R 32.29

-25.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 £2.03

$1.67 R 27.45

61.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.13 £2.35

$2.17 R 35.70

44.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 £1.25

$1.57 R 25.81

6.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 £1.06

$1.48 R 24.45

-4.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 £1.04

$1.30 R 21.41

6.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 £1.05

$1.13 R 18.60

24.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.63 £17.73

$3.60 R 59.3

556.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.00 £8.25

$6.15 R 101

78.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.73 £2.05

$1.38 R 22.66

97.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 £2.68

$2.14 R 35.20

66.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 £2.12

$1.50 R 24.65

88.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.5 £65.7

$60.8 R 1,001

44.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.67 £4.25

$0.59 R 9.71

861.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 £1.51

$1.50 R 24.65

34.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.58 £25.20

$5.11 R 84.2

557.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 £1.42

$1.55 R 25.50

22.58%

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

$38.7K £29.0K

$36.2K R 596.5K

6.77%

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

$40.1K £30.1K

$31.2K R 514.8K

28.45%

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

$375 £281

$114 R 1,883

227.80%

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

$15.57 £11.68

$28.91 R 476

-46.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.75 £30.57

$39.73 R 654

2.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.09 £25.57

$49.01 R 808

-30.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.97 £5.98

$10.99 R 181

-27.48%

Cinema Ticket

$17.81 £13.36

$9.15 R 151

94.64%

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

$1,047 £786

$259 R 4,264

304.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.5K £14.6K

$6,794 R 111.9K

186.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 £52.8

$56.2 R 926

25.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.0 £40.48

$32.41 R 534

66.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 £61.1

$121 R 1,987

-32.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 £51.3

$108 R 1,781

-36.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,069 £802

$1,021 R 16.8K

4.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$949 £712

$717 R 11.8K

32.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 £1,048

$1,824 R 30.1K

-23.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,552 £1,164

$1,327 R 21.9K

16.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,984 £3,739

$2,391 R 39.4K

108.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,916 £2,938

$1,542 R 25.4K

153.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,920 £2,191

$1,639 R 27.0K

78.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.74

10.97

-56.79%

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

Last update for Ipswich: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ipswich

$949 40.8%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 24.4% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ipswich

$431 18.5%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 57.6% $248

Eating Out

Ipswich

$331 14.2%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 46.7% $154

Groceries & Markets

Ipswich

$308 13.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 27% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Ipswich

$123 5.3%

Cape Town

$143 9% 15.7% $19

Getting Around

Ipswich

$115 4.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 34.7% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Ipswich

$70 3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 3.4% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,069 in Ipswich 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 78% higher in Ipswich, 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 $108 in Ipswich versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $308 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Ipswich

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

18:41 6:41 PM

1 h ahead of Ipswich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,000

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ipswich Cape Town 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Ipswich
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

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

Ipswich costs about 47% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,489 per month in Ipswich 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 Cape Town, 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 $2,326 in Ipswich and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 47%.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Ipswich at $2,326. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ipswich it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,326 in Ipswich. 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 Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ipswich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.