Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Margate, South Africa and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Margate: $891 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Margate
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Margate Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Margate

🇿🇦 South Africa

$891

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $891 per month in Margate vs $1,556 in Cape Town, rent included.

Margate $891
Cape Town $1,556

A couple spends around $1,419 per month in Margate vs $2,432 in Cape Town, rent included.

Margate $1,419
Cape Town $2,432

A family of three spends $1,947 per month in Margate vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Margate $1,947
Cape Town $3,307

Margate is about 43% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Margate sits 35% below the global median, while Cape Town is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.72 R 128

$12.09 R 201

-36.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.77 R 612

$44.34 R 738

-17.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.95 R 99.0

$6.15 R 102

-3.25%

Cappuccino

$1.89 R 31.51

$2.36 R 39.24

-19.92%

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

$1.05 R 17.55

$1.26 R 21.03

-16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 14.01

$1.00 R 16.56

-16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.65

$3.08 R 51.2

-20.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 R 38.31

$3.70 R 61.5

-37.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R 16.42

$1.34 R 22.38

-26.12%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 R 15.08

$1.19 R 19.86

-23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 R 18.72

$2.10 R 34.96

-46.19%

Eggs

$2.38 R 39.60

$3.05 R 50.7

-21.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.21 R 86.6

$8.73 R 145

-40.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.41 R 56.7

$6.97 R 116

-51.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.01 R 100

$9.39 R 156

-36.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.16 R 19.22

$1.89 R 31.39

-38.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 R 20.85

$1.88 R 31.27

-33.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 R 18.13

$1.69 R 28.04

-35.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 R 23.49

$2.04 R 34.02

-30.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 R 18.22

$1.57 R 26.08

-29.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 R 22.07

$1.48 R 24.61

-10.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 R 18.38

$1.28 R 21.33

-14.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 16.16

$1.19 R 19.78

-18.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.62 R 26.91

$3.63 R 60.4

-55.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.63 R 60.4

$6.17 R 103

-41.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.60

$1.39 R 23.10

6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 R 30.85

$2.18 R 36.27

-15.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.56 R 25.89

$1.37 R 22.79

13.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,020

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 R 7.42

$0.57 R 9.56

-21.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 R 11.88

$1.48 R 24.58

-52.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 R 129

$4.90 R 81.5

58.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 R 22.87

$1.58 R 26.25

-13.29%

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

$35.1K R 584.0K

$34.7K R 577.5K

1.12%

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

$33.7K R 560.3K

$34.1K R 567.4K

-1.24%

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

$61.6 R 1,025

$117 R 1,945

-47.31%

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

$18.40 R 306

$28.35 R 472

-35.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.91 R 548

$40.58 R 675

-18.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.81 R 546

$48.54 R 808

-32.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.97 R 183

$10.80 R 180

1.57%

Cinema Ticket

$4.34 R 72.2

$9.11 R 152

-52.36%

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

$310 R 5,161

$302 R 5,024

2.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,680 R 127.8K

$6,720 R 111.8K

14.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 R 908

$55.2 R 919

-1.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.27 R 304

$32.70 R 544

-44.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.7 R 1,193

$118 R 1,961

-39.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.48 R 823

$104 R 1,728

-52.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$395 R 6,577

$1,041 R 17.3K

-62.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 R 6,046

$691 R 11.5K

-47.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$743 R 12.4K

$1,981 R 33.0K

-62.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 12.0K

$1,388 R 23.1K

-47.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$880 R 14.6K

$2,420 R 40.3K

-63.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$696 R 11.6K

$1,552 R 25.8K

-55.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,528 R 25.4K

$1,576 R 26.2K

-3.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.78

10.97

7.38%

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

Last update for Margate: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Margate

$363 40.8%

Cape Town

$691 44.4% 90.1% $327

Groceries & Markets

Margate

$149 16.7%

Cape Town

$224 14.4% 50.3% $75

Eating Out

Margate

$127 14.2%

Cape Town

$175 11.3% 38.3% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Margate

$113 12.7%

Cape Town

$186 11.9% 64.6% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Margate

$87 9.8%

Cape Town

$139 9% 59.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Margate

$41 4.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.3% 60.9% $25

Getting Around

Margate

$10 * 1.2%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 630% $64

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $395 in Margate versus $1,041 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 3% 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 $37 in Margate versus $44 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $149 vs $224 – making Margate the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Margate

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

Same time as Margate

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,407

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Margate Cape Town 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Margate
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

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

Cape Town costs about 75% more than Margate, 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 $1,336 per month in Margate and $2,335 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Margate, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $891 in Margate and $1,556 in Cape Town. That’s a gap of about 75%.

Kindergarten costs $310 per month in Margate and $302 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $891 in Margate and $1,556 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 $891 in Margate to $1,556 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Margate. 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.