Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeffreys Bay and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeffreys Bay: $1,045 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Jeffreys Bay
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Jeffreys Bay Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Jeffreys Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,045

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,045 per month in Jeffreys Bay vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Jeffreys Bay $1,045
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,628 per month in Jeffreys Bay vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Jeffreys Bay $1,628
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,212 per month in Jeffreys Bay vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Jeffreys Bay $2,212
Cape Town $3,306

Jeffreys Bay is about 32% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Jeffreys Bay sits 23% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.25 R 154

$12.01 R 200

-22.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.34 R 456

$42.92 R 715

-36.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.83 R 97.1

$6.15 R 103

-5.20%

Cappuccino

$1.82 R 30.37

$2.37 R 39.48

-23.21%

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

$0.77 R 12.85

$1.27 R 21.20

-39.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R 11.44

$0.94 R 15.63

-26.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 R 32.92

$2.96 R 49.31

-33.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 R 32.86

$3.69 R 61.5

-46.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.54

$1.32 R 21.98

-11.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 R 17.46

$1.21 R 20.09

-13.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.80

$2.20 R 36.66

-35.00%

Eggs

$2.79 R 46.54

$3.10 R 51.7

-10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.59 R 110

$8.73 R 146

-24.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 R 83.5

$6.89 R 115

-27.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.31 R 122

$9.26 R 154

-21.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 R 34.92

$1.83 R 30.41

14.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.49

$1.95 R 32.49

-24.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 R 26.92

$1.66 R 27.63

-2.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.65

$2.14 R 35.58

-19.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.72

$1.58 R 26.30

5.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R 19.68

$1.47 R 24.57

-19.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.34

$1.35 R 22.43

-9.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 16.19

$1.14 R 19.07

-14.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 R 55.1

$3.58 R 59.6

-7.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.85 R 64.2

$6.05 R 101

-36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 21.23

$1.39 R 23.21

-8.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 R 29.85

$2.18 R 36.31

-17.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.66 R 27.64

$1.40 R 23.27

18.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,012

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 R 14.13

$0.93 R 15.43

-8.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 R 8.18

$0.90 R 15.00

-45.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 R 139

$4.96 R 82.7

68.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 R 23.50

$1.54 R 25.66

-8.44%

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

$21.4K R 356.4K

$35.4K R 589.3K

-39.52%

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

$17.3K R 287.7K

$33.4K R 556.1K

-48.27%

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

$122 R 2,037

$117 R 1,951

4.42%

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

$33.96 R 566

$25.71 R 428

32.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.43 R 757

$39.41 R 657

15.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.31 R 538

$51.6 R 860

-37.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.06 R 101

$11.35 R 189

-46.61%

Cinema Ticket

$3.02 R 50.4

$8.89 R 148

-66.03%

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

$138 R 2,301

$308 R 5,126

-55.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,195 R 103.2K

$8,141 R 135.7K

-23.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.3 R 1,188

$57.4 R 956

24.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.75 R 662

$31.75 R 529

25.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,834

$116 R 1,932

-5.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.1 R 1,634

$101 R 1,678

-2.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,098

$1,047 R 17.4K

-59.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 R 5,607

$669 R 11.2K

-49.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$720 R 12.0K

$1,861 R 31.0K

-61.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$718 R 12.0K

$1,407 R 23.4K

-48.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$678 R 11.3K

$2,410 R 40.2K

-71.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$673 R 11.2K

$1,570 R 26.2K

-57.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 27.2K

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 Jeffreys Bay: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeffreys Bay

$336 32.2%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 98.9% $333

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeffreys Bay

$202 19.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 9.6% $19

Groceries & Markets

Jeffreys Bay

$182 17.4%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 22.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Jeffreys Bay

$144 13.8%

Cape Town

$138 9% 4.2% $6

Eating Out

Jeffreys Bay

$133 12.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 30.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Jeffreys Bay

$38 3.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 80.9% $31

Getting Around

Jeffreys Bay

$9.9 * 1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 622% $62

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Jeffreys Bay 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Jeffreys Bay versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $223 – making Jeffreys Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Jeffreys Bay

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

Same time as Jeffreys Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,107

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

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Highest

Between locations

Jeffreys Bay Cape Town 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Jeffreys 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

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

Cape Town costs about 46% more than Jeffreys 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 $1,567 per month in Jeffreys Bay 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 Jeffreys Bay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $426 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,045 in Jeffreys Bay and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Jeffreys Bay about 32% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $138 per month in Jeffreys Bay and $308 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 Jeffreys Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,045, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Jeffreys Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Jeffreys Bay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.