Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Los Ángeles and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Los Ángeles: $913 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Los Ángeles

🇨🇱 Chile

$913

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $913 per month in Los Ángeles vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Los Ángeles $913
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,367 per month in Los Ángeles vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Los Ángeles $1,367
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,822 per month in Los Ángeles vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Los Ángeles $1,822
Cape Town $3,306

Los Ángeles is about 40% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Los Ángeles sits 32% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.20 CLP 11.9K

$12.01 R 199

1.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.60 CLP 25.1K

$42.92 R 709

-40.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.23 CLP 10.0K

$6.15 R 102

66.34%

Cappuccino

$2.04 CLP 1,997

$2.37 R 39.16

-13.92%

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

$1.55 CLP 1,516

$1.27 R 21.03

22.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 CLP 1,509

$0.94 R 15.50

63.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.51 CLP 2,454

$2.96 R 48.92

-15.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 CLP 2,941

$3.69 R 61.0

-18.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 CLP 1,205

$1.32 R 21.80

-6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 CLP 2,734

$1.21 R 19.93

130.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 CLP 2,919

$2.20 R 36.37

35.45%

Eggs

$4.26 CLP 4,171

$3.10 R 51.3

37.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.29 CLP 8,113

$8.73 R 144

-5.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.62 CLP 10.4K

$6.89 R 114

54.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 CLP 14.0K

$9.26 R 153

54.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 CLP 2,507

$1.83 R 30.17

39.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 CLP 1,611

$1.95 R 32.22

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.66 CLP 2,604

$1.66 R 27.40

60.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 CLP 2,152

$2.14 R 35.30

2.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 CLP 1,443

$1.58 R 26.09

-6.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 CLP 1,619

$1.47 R 24.37

12.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 CLP 1,350

$1.35 R 22.25

2.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 CLP 1,063

$1.14 R 18.91

-4.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 CLP 5,484

$3.58 R 59.1

56.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.16 CLP 4,077

$6.05 R 100

-31.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 CLP 928

$1.39 R 23.02

-31.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 R 36.01

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 CLP 524

$1.40 R 23.09

-62.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.06 CLP 2,019

$0.93 R 15.31

121.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.88

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 82.0

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CLP 1,221

$1.54 R 25.45

-18.83%

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

$35.4K R 584.6K

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

$33.4K R 551.6K

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

$123 CLP 119.9K

$117 R 1,935

4.64%

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

$25.71 R 425

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.00 CLP 19.6K

$39.41 R 651

-49.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.4 CLP 76.8K

$51.6 R 853

51.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.94 CLP 9,734

$11.35 R 188

-12.42%

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 CLP 4,171

$8.89 R 147

-52.08%

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

$308 R 5,085

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,141 R 134.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 R 948

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.75 R 525

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 R 1,917

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 R 1,665

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$274 CLP 268.1K

$1,047 R 17.3K

-73.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 CLP 217.4K

$669 R 11.1K

-66.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$448 CLP 438.6K

$1,861 R 30.8K

-75.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$338 CLP 330.7K

$1,407 R 23.3K

-76.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

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

Last update for Los Ángeles: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Los Ángeles

–

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

Groceries & Markets

Los Ángeles

–

Cape Town

$223 14.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Los Ángeles

–

Cape Town

$182 11.9%

Eating Out

Los Ángeles

–

Cape Town

$174 11.4%

Clothing & Footwear

Los Ángeles

–

Cape Town

$138 9%

Getting Around

Los Ángeles

–

Cape Town

$72 4.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Los Ángeles

–

Cape Town

$69 4.5%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $274 in Los Ángeles 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 $26 in Los Ángeles versus $43 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $274 in Los Ángeles vs $223 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Los Ángeles

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

17:41 5:41 PM

5 h ahead of Los Ángeles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

143,023

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.21 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.09 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 979 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,100 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.09 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Los Ángeles Cape Town 7,860 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Los Ángeles
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

Los Ángeles vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 67% more than Los Ángeles, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,369 per month in Los Ángeles 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 Los Ángeles, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $274 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $913 in Los Ángeles and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Los Ángeles about 40% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $913 in Los Ángeles 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 $913 in Los Ángeles to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.