Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Libreville and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Libreville: $1,486 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

74

Cost of Living Index in Libreville
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Libreville Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Libreville

🇬🇦 Gabon

$1,486

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,486 per month in Libreville vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Libreville $1,486
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $2,489 per month in Libreville vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Libreville $2,489
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $3,493 per month in Libreville vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Libreville $3,493
Cape Town $3,307

Libreville is about 5% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Libreville and Cape Town sit above the global median – Libreville by 11%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.40 FCFA 10.2K

$11.78 R 194

47.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 FCFA 39.9K

$46.55 R 768

46.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.29 FCFA 8,945

$5.96 R 98.4

156.54%

Cappuccino

$5.94 FCFA 3,475

$2.47 R 40.80

140.49%

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

$1.67 FCFA 978

$1.33 R 21.91

25.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 FCFA 825

$1.03 R 16.99

36.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 FCFA 588

$3.01 R 49.72

-66.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 FCFA 1,127

$3.66 R 60.4

-47.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.44 FCFA 2,010

$1.39 R 22.96

147.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 FCFA 703

$1.19 R 19.60

0.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.87 FCFA 1,681

$2.11 R 34.84

36.02%

Eggs

$4.45 FCFA 2,604

$3.01 R 49.58

47.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 FCFA 6,086

$8.96 R 148

16.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.66 FCFA 5,065

$6.65 R 110

30.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.83 FCFA 15.1K

$9.29 R 153

178.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.91 FCFA 1,703

$1.83 R 30.13

59.02%

Banana (1kg)

$3.78 FCFA 2,214

$1.90 R 31.31

98.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.95 FCFA 2,310

$1.75 R 28.83

125.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 FCFA 2,011

$2.09 R 34.41

64.59%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 FCFA 1,724

$1.55 R 25.64

90.32%

Onion (1kg)

$4.19 FCFA 2,449

$1.49 R 24.53

181.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.15 FCFA 1,258

$1.30 R 21.41

65.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 FCFA 966

$1.16 R 19.19

42.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.56 FCFA 1,495

$3.71 R 61.2

-31.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.30 FCFA 6,611

$6.06 R 100

86.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 FCFA 570

$1.39 R 22.85

-30.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 FCFA 771

$2.20 R 36.32

-40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 FCFA 526

$1.51 R 24.98

-40.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.94 FCFA 28.0K

$61.0 R 1,006

-21.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 FCFA 742

$0.63 R 10.33

101.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 FCFA 428

$1.53 R 25.29

-52.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.44 FCFA 10.2K

$4.81 R 79.4

262.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 FCFA 608

$1.58 R 26.08

-34.18%

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

$29.4K FCFA 17.2M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-17.23%

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

$22.6K FCFA 13.2M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-28.83%

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

$84.8 FCFA 49.6K

$116 R 1,920

-27.12%

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

$34.33 FCFA 20.1K

$28.37 R 468

21.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.8 FCFA 37.9K

$40.69 R 671

59.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.0 FCFA 38.0K

$48.85 R 806

33.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.05 FCFA 15.2K

$11.13 R 184

134.05%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 FCFA 2,676

$8.83 R 146

-48.24%

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

$170 FCFA 99.6K

$261 R 4,314

-34.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,520 FCFA 3.2M

$6,702 R 110.6K

-17.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.2 FCFA 49.8K

$55.4 R 914

53.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.56 FCFA 24.9K

$32.27 R 532

31.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.9 FCFA 30.3K

$118 R 1,939

-55.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 FCFA 60.0K

$107 R 1,766

-4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,020 FCFA 596.5K

$1,015 R 16.7K

0.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 FCFA 246.2K

$715 R 11.8K

-41.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,114 FCFA 1.2M

$1,801 R 29.7K

17.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$843 FCFA 493.0K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-36.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,588 FCFA 2.1M

$2,331 R 38.5K

53.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,721 FCFA 1.6M

$1,513 R 25.0K

79.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$429 FCFA 250.9K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-73.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

10.97

4.83%

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

Last update for Libreville: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Libreville

$421 27.8%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 70% $295

Groceries & Markets

Libreville

$374 24.7%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 40.5% $151

Eating Out

Libreville

$278 18.3%

Cape Town

$174 11% 37.4% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Libreville

$184 12.2%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 0.8% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Libreville

$127 8.4%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 10.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Libreville

$74 4.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 10.3% $7.7

Getting Around

Libreville

$56 3.7%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 33.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,020 in Libreville versus $1,015 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 281% higher in Cape Town, 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 $68.0 in Libreville versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $374 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇦 Libreville

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

12:15 12:15 PM

1 h ahead of Libreville

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

850,000 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Libreville Cape Town 3,930 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Libreville
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

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

Cape Town costs about 6% more than Libreville, 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 $2,228 per month in Libreville and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Libreville, 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 $1,486 in Libreville and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Libreville. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Libreville, where all-in costs run around $1,486, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Libreville 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. Libreville costs $1,486 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Libreville. 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.