Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mercedes and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Mercedes: $1,285 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Mercedes, Uruguay
Cape Town, South Africa
Mercedes
🇺🇾 Uruguay
$1,285
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,527
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,285 per month in Mercedes vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Mercedes $1,285
  • Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,968 per month in Mercedes vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Mercedes $1,968
  • Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,650 per month in Mercedes vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Mercedes $2,650
  • Cape Town $3,306

Mercedes is about 16% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Mercedes sits 5% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mercedes
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$15.66 UYU 630
$12.01 R 199
30.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.1 UYU 2,537
$42.92 R 709
46.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$14.04 UYU 565
$6.15 R 102
128.29%
Cappuccino
$2.53 UYU 102
$2.37 R 39.16
6.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.51 UYU 101
$1.27 R 21.03
97.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 UYU 35.19
$0.94 R 15.50
-6.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.47 UYU 99.2
$2.96 R 48.92
-16.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 UYU 153
$3.69 R 61.0
2.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mercedes
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 UYU 50.2
$1.32 R 21.80
-5.30%
White Bread (500g)
$3.02 UYU 121
$1.21 R 19.93
149.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.43 UYU 57.5
$2.20 R 36.37
-35.00%
Eggs
$2.80 UYU 112
$3.10 R 51.3
-9.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.35 UYU 577
$8.73 R 144
64.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.51 UYU 463
$6.89 R 114
67.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.40 UYU 298
$9.26 R 153
-20.09%
Apples (1kg)
$2.01 UYU 81.0
$1.83 R 30.17
9.84%
Banana (1kg)
$2.42 UYU 97.3
$1.95 R 32.22
24.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.14 UYU 45.87
$1.66 R 27.40
-31.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.92 UYU 117
$2.14 R 35.30
36.45%
Potato (1kg)
$1.91 UYU 77.0
$1.58 R 26.09
20.89%
Onion (1kg)
$2.17 UYU 87.4
$1.47 R 24.37
47.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.39 UYU 56.1
$1.35 R 22.25
2.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 UYU 68.8
$1.14 R 18.91
50.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.87 UYU 196
$3.58 R 59.1
36.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.29 UYU 334
$6.05 R 100
37.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.33 UYU 93.8
$1.39 R 23.02
67.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 UYU 112
$2.18 R 36.01
27.06%
🚌 Getting Around
Mercedes
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.40 R 23.09
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$60.8 R 1,004
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 UYU 74.0
$0.93 R 15.31
97.85%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 UYU 42.50
$0.90 R 14.88
17.78%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.77 UYU 514
$4.96 R 82.0
157.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.24 UYU 90.0
$1.54 R 25.45
45.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.7K UYU 1.1M
$35.4K R 584.6K
-24.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.9K UYU 1.5M
$33.4K R 551.6K
10.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mercedes
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$183 UYU 7,380
$117 R 1,935
56.74%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.33 UYU 858
$25.71 R 425
-17.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.14 UYU 1,735
$39.41 R 651
9.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mercedes
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$51.6 R 853
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$11.35 R 188
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.07 UYU 485
$8.89 R 147
35.77%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mercedes
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$632 UYU 25.4K
$308 R 5,085
105.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.2K UYU 450.8K
$8,141 R 134.6K
37.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mercedes
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.0 UYU 3,981
$57.4 R 948
72.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$57.1 UYU 2,295
$31.75 R 525
79.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$120 UYU 4,834
$116 R 1,917
3.65%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130 UYU 5,242
$101 R 1,665
29.41%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mercedes
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$582 UYU 23.4K
$1,047 R 17.3K
-44.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$295 UYU 11.9K
$669 R 11.1K
-55.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$627 UYU 25.2K
$1,861 R 30.8K
-66.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$452 UYU 18.2K
$1,407 R 23.3K
-67.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,050 UYU 122.7K
$2,410 R 39.8K
26.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,968 UYU 79.2K
$1,570 R 25.9K
25.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mercedes
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,630 R 26.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.65
10.89
-48.12%

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

Last update for Mercedes: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Mercedes
$296
Cape Town
$223 24.6% $73
Accommodation & Living
Mercedes
$295
Cape Town
$669 127% $374
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mercedes
$248
Cape Town
$182 26.5% $66
Eating Out
Mercedes
$231
Cape Town
$174 24.8% $57
Clothing & Footwear
Mercedes
$183
Cape Town
$138 24.8% $45
Sport & Entertainment
Mercedes
$24 *
Cape Town
$69 187% $45
Getting Around
Mercedes
$7.1 *
Cape Town
$72 908% $65

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $582 in Mercedes 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 $63 in Mercedes versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $296 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇺🇾 Mercedes
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
22:57 10:57 PM
03:57 3:57 AM
5 h ahead of Mercedes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
41,975
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.95 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mercedes Cape Town 6,900 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mercedes
  • 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
Mercedes vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mercedes or Cape Town?
Cape Town costs about 19% more than Mercedes, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mercedes and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,928 per month in Mercedes and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Mercedes or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mercedes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $582 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.
How much does it cost to live in Mercedes compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,285 in Mercedes and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Mercedes about 16% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Mercedes and in Cape Town?
Kindergarten costs $632 per month in Mercedes and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mercedes or in Cape Town?
$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,285 in Mercedes and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Mercedes or Cape Town?
It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,285 in Mercedes to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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