Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lancy and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,599 a month against $3,280 in Lancy, rent and utilities included – about $20,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Lancy
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Lancy Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Lancy

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,280

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,280 per month in Lancy vs $1,599 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lancy $3,280
Cape Town $1,599

A couple spends around $5,151 per month in Lancy vs $2,460 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lancy $5,151
Cape Town $2,460

A family of three spends $7,023 per month in Lancy vs $3,320 in Cape Town, rent included.

Lancy $7,023
Cape Town $3,320

Lancy costs about 105% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lancy and Cape Town sit above the global median – Lancy by 142%, Cape Town by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.74 CHF 23.68

$12.07 R 201

138.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 CHF 102

$46.65 R 776

165.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.64 CHF 12.89

$6.20 R 103

152.26%

Cappuccino

$6.32 CHF 5.20

$2.50 R 41.50

152.80%

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

$4.56 CHF 3.76

$1.35 R 22.48

237.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.01 CHF 3.30

$1.00 R 16.62

301.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.28 CHF 7.64

$3.06 R 50.8

203.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$3.67 R 61.1

110.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.30 R 21.65

71.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 CHF 2.39

$1.27 R 21.08

128.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 CHF 2.57

$2.17 R 36.00

44.24%

Eggs

$7.57 CHF 6.24

$3.09 R 51.4

144.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.10 CHF 19.85

$8.98 R 149

168.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$29.41 CHF 24.23

$6.99 R 116

320.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.04 CHF 32.16

$9.67 R 161

303.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.54 CHF 2.92

$1.87 R 31.06

89.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 CHF 1.36

$1.93 R 32.00

-14.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.74 CHF 2.25

$1.77 R 29.40

54.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.76 CHF 3.92

$2.18 R 36.18

118.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 CHF 1.30

$1.52 R 25.30

3.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 CHF 1.69

$1.56 R 25.86

31.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$1.32 R 21.93

67.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 CHF 1.12

$1.15 R 19.15

17.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.84 CHF 8.93

$3.72 R 61.9

191.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.17 CHF 10.03

$6.01 R 99.9

102.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.17 CHF 1.79

$1.34 R 22.33

61.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 CHF 2.40

$2.13 R 35.43

36.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.90 CHF 3.21

$1.55 R 25.76

151.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.7 CHF 78.0

$61.3 R 1,019

54.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.73 CHF 6.37

$0.60 R 9.94

1188.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.78 CHF 3.12

$1.54 R 25.59

145.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.6 CHF 53.2

$5.01 R 83.3

1188.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 CHF 1.92

$1.60 R 26.57

45.63%

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

$38.8K CHF 31.9K

$35.4K R 588.7K

9.48%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$34.7K R 576.1K

14.11%

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

$276 CHF 227

$119 R 1,972

132.61%

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

$27.82 CHF 22.92

$29.42 R 489

-5.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 CHF 45.42

$39.81 R 662

38.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.5 CHF 74.5

$50.8 R 844

78.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.39 CHF 38.22

$10.93 R 182

324.43%

Cinema Ticket

$24.28 CHF 20.00

$8.99 R 149

170.08%

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

$2,430 CHF 2,002

$261 R 4,342

830.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

$6,966 R 115.8K

335.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 CHF 111

$56.1 R 933

140.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.0 CHF 50.2

$33.26 R 553

83.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$158 CHF 130

$121 R 2,017

30.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$188 CHF 154

$108 R 1,796

73.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,798 CHF 1,481

$1,028 R 17.1K

74.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 CHF 1,140

$720 R 12.0K

92.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,926 CHF 2,410

$1,835 R 30.5K

59.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,610 CHF 2,150

$1,360 R 22.6K

91.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.9K CHF 14.7K

$2,407 R 40.0K

643.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.4K CHF 9,367

$1,504 R 25.0K

655.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.98

10.97

-81.95%

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

Last update for Lancy: October 18, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lancy

$1.4K 42.2%

Cape Town

$720 45% 48% $665

Groceries & Markets

Lancy

$568 17.3%

Cape Town

$226 14.2% 60.2% $342

Eating Out

Lancy

$449 13.7%

Cape Town

$177 11.1% 60.5% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lancy

$359 10.9%

Cape Town

$188 11.8% 47.7% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Lancy

$244 7.4%

Cape Town

$143 9% 41.1% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Lancy

$139 4.2%

Cape Town

$69 4.3% 50.6% $70

Getting Around

Lancy

$137 4.2%

Cape Town

$76 4.7% 44.6% $61

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,798 in Lancy 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $124 in Lancy versus $47 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $568 vs $226 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Lancy

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h ahead of Lancy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,919

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 16.62 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.65 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lancy Cape Town 8,990 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Lancy
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

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

Lancy costs about 105% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,919 per month in Lancy 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 Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,028 there versus $1,798 in Lancy.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,280 in Lancy and $1,599 in Cape Town. That’s a gap of about 105%.

Public transport costs about 35% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,280 in Lancy and $1,599 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,599 versus $3,280 in Lancy. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

For expats, Cape Town is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 105% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.