Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Le Mans and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,582 in Le Mans, rent and utilities included – about $660 less a year. The total is higher in Le Mans despite lower rent and utilities.

76

Cost of Living Index in Le Mans
Learn more

Le Mans Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Le Mans

🇫🇷 France

$1,582

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,582 per month in Le Mans vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Le Mans $1,582
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,513 per month in Le Mans vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Le Mans $2,513
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,443 per month in Le Mans vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Le Mans $3,443
Cape Town $3,306

Le Mans costs about 4% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Le Mans and Cape Town sit above the global median – Le Mans by 17%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.58 €14.76

$12.01 R 198

38.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.8 €50.6

$42.92 R 707

32.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 €9.03

$6.15 R 101

64.88%

Cappuccino

$3.59 €3.20

$2.37 R 39.04

51.48%

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

$2.30 €2.05

$1.27 R 20.96

81.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.94 R 15.46

17.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.82 €6.96

$2.96 R 48.77

164.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.80 €4.27

$3.69 R 60.8

30.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 €0.88

$1.32 R 21.73

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.21 R 19.87

21.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.11 €2.77

$2.20 R 36.26

41.36%

Eggs

$3.01 €2.68

$3.10 R 51.1

-2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.81 €22.98

$8.73 R 144

195.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.11 €10.78

$6.89 R 114

75.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.86 €16.79

$9.26 R 153

103.67%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.71

$1.83 R 30.08

66.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.95 R 32.12

34.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.66 R 27.32

77.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.05 €2.72

$2.14 R 35.19

42.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.58 R 26.01

18.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.47 R 24.29

32.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.35 R 22.18

5.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.64

$1.14 R 18.85

-37.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.81 €12.29

$3.58 R 59.0

285.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.51 €5.80

$6.05 R 99.7

7.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.10

$1.39 R 22.95

150.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.18 R 35.90

27.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.40 R 23.02

17.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.55 €35.21

$60.8 R 1,001

-34.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 €2.62

$0.93 R 15.26

216.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 €1.13

$0.90 R 14.83

41.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.52 €32.52

$4.96 R 81.7

636.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.54 R 25.37

33.77%

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

$34.5K €30.8K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-2.34%

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

$38.4K €34.2K

$33.4K R 549.9K

14.99%

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

$163 €145

$117 R 1,929

39.46%

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

$14.26 €12.69

$25.71 R 424

-44.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.49 €28.93

$39.41 R 649

-17.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.75 €31.83

$51.6 R 850

-30.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.09

$11.35 R 187

69.07%

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 €12.06

$8.89 R 146

52.31%

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

$1,076 €958

$308 R 5,069

249.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,793 €7,830

$8,141 R 134.2K

8.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.5 €81.5

$57.4 R 946

59.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.45 €30.67

$31.75 R 523

8.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.1 €83.8

$116 R 1,911

-18.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €121

$101 R 1,660

35.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 €506

$1,047 R 17.2K

-45.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 €413

$669 R 11.0K

-30.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,003 €893

$1,861 R 30.7K

-46.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$939 €836

$1,407 R 23.2K

-33.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,792 €2,486

$2,410 R 39.7K

15.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,818 €1,619

$1,570 R 25.9K

15.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,810 €2,502

$1,630 R 26.9K

72.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.77

10.89

-65.38%

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

Last update for Le Mans: 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

Le Mans

$464 29.3%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 44.3% $205

Groceries & Markets

Le Mans

$362 22.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 38.3% $138

Eating Out

Le Mans

$268 17%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 35.2% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Le Mans

$210 13.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 13.3% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Le Mans

$160 10.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 14.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Le Mans

$63 4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 10.4% $6.5

Getting Around

Le Mans

$55 3.5%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 29.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $569 in Le Mans 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.

Salaries run about 72% higher in Le Mans. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in Le Mans versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Le Mans

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:08 6:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

1 h ahead of Le Mans

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,004

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Le Mans Cape Town 9,290 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Le Mans
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

Le Mans vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Le Mans costs about 4% 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 $2,373 per month in Le Mans 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 Le Mans, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $569 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,582 in Le Mans and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 3% cheaper.

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

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,582 in Le Mans and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,527 in Cape Town to $1,582 in Le Mans. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Le Mans makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.