Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Newcastle upon Tyne and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,221 in Newcastle upon Tyne, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Newcastle upon Tyne
Learn more

Newcastle upon Tyne Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Newcastle upon Tyne

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,221

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,221 per month in Newcastle upon Tyne vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Newcastle upon Tyne $2,221
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $3,285 per month in Newcastle upon Tyne vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Newcastle upon Tyne $3,285
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $4,349 per month in Newcastle upon Tyne vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Newcastle upon Tyne $4,349
Cape Town $3,307

Newcastle upon Tyne costs about 42% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Newcastle upon Tyne and Cape Town sit above the global median – Newcastle upon Tyne by 66%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.68 £14.87

$11.78 R 194

67.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.9 £74.0

$46.55 R 768

110.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.76 £8.13

$5.96 R 98.4

80.54%

Cappuccino

$4.83 £3.65

$2.47 R 40.80

95.55%

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

$3.14 £2.37

$1.33 R 21.91

136.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 £1.78

$1.03 R 16.99

129.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.77 £5.12

$3.01 R 49.72

124.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 £5.11

$3.66 R 60.4

84.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 £1.10

$1.39 R 22.96

4.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.84 £1.39

$1.19 R 19.60

54.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 £1.72

$2.11 R 34.84

7.58%

Eggs

$3.69 £2.79

$3.01 R 49.58

22.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.59 £7.25

$8.96 R 148

7.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 £6.69

$6.65 R 110

33.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 £10.85

$9.29 R 153

54.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.88 £2.18

$1.83 R 30.13

57.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 £1.39

$1.90 R 31.31

-3.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$1.75 R 28.83

62.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.43 £2.59

$2.09 R 34.41

64.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.76 £1.33

$1.55 R 25.64

13.55%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 £1.04

$1.49 R 24.53

-8.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 £0.86

$1.30 R 21.41

-12.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 £1.35

$1.16 R 19.19

53.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$20.57 £15.54

$3.71 R 61.2

454.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.61 £8.01

$6.06 R 100

75.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.07 £2.32

$1.39 R 22.85

120.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 £2.59

$2.20 R 36.32

55.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.39 £2.56

$1.51 R 24.98

124.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.5 £66.1

$61.0 R 1,006

43.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 £4.88

$0.63 R 10.33

925.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 £1.16

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.52 £20.79

$4.81 R 79.4

472.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 £1.59

$1.58 R 26.08

32.91%

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

$38.4K £29.0K

$35.5K R 585.7K

8.25%

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

$40.6K £30.7K

$31.7K R 523.8K

27.78%

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

$246 £186

$116 R 1,920

111.57%

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

$16.85 £12.73

$28.37 R 468

-40.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.97 £31.71

$40.69 R 671

3.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.18 £27.34

$48.85 R 806

-25.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.55 £14.77

$11.13 R 184

75.65%

Cinema Ticket

$10.71 £8.09

$8.83 R 146

21.29%

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

$1,233 £932

$261 R 4,314

371.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K £13.4K

$6,702 R 110.6K

163.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 £68.3

$55.4 R 914

63.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.83 £35.39

$32.27 R 532

45.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £79.6

$118 R 1,939

-10.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.1 £71.1

$107 R 1,766

-12.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 £1,013

$1,015 R 16.7K

32.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$998 £754

$715 R 11.8K

39.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,133 £1,612

$1,801 R 29.7K

18.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,584 £1,197

$1,330 R 22.0K

19.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,085 £3,843

$2,331 R 38.5K

118.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,548 £2,681

$1,513 R 25.0K

134.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,366 £2,544

$1,636 R 27.0K

105.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.15

10.97

-53.05%

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

Last update for Newcastle upon Tyne: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Newcastle upon Tyne

$998 44.4%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 28.3% $283

Eating Out

Newcastle upon Tyne

$317 14.1%

Cape Town

$174 11% 45.2% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Newcastle upon Tyne

$305 13.6%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 39.2% $120

Groceries & Markets

Newcastle upon Tyne

$304 13.5%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 26.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Newcastle upon Tyne

$151 6.7%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 7.3% $11

Getting Around

Newcastle upon Tyne

$115 5.1%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 34.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Newcastle upon Tyne

$58 2.6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 15.5% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,341 in Newcastle upon Tyne 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 106% higher in Newcastle upon Tyne, 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 $98.0 in Newcastle upon Tyne versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Newcastle upon Tyne

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:38 4:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h ahead of Newcastle upon Tyne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

809,000

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Newcastle upon Tyne Cape Town 10,070 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Newcastle upon Tyne
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

Newcastle upon Tyne vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Newcastle upon Tyne costs about 42% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,332 per month in Newcastle upon Tyne 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 Cape Town, 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 $2,221 in Newcastle upon Tyne and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 42%.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Newcastle upon Tyne at $2,221. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Newcastle upon Tyne it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $2,221 in Newcastle upon Tyne. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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