Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ongata Rongai and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongata Rongai: $571 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $12,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Ongata Rongai
Learn more

Ongata Rongai Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Ongata Rongai

🇰🇪 Kenya

$571

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $571 per month in Ongata Rongai vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ongata Rongai $571
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $880 per month in Ongata Rongai vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ongata Rongai $880
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,189 per month in Ongata Rongai vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Ongata Rongai $1,189
Cape Town $3,263

Ongata Rongai is about 64% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Ongata Rongai sits 58% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 KES 827

$12.14 R 200

-47.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.02 KES 2,465

$45.34 R 747

-58.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.23 KES 808

$5.88 R 96.9

5.95%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 256

$2.50 R 41.18

-21.20%

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

$0.32 KES 41.56

$1.27 R 20.94

-74.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 KES 52.8

$0.98 R 16.14

-58.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 KES 304

$2.99 R 49.33

-21.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 KES 359

$3.72 R 61.4

-25.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.45 KES 57.9

$1.30 R 21.40

-65.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 KES 62.6

$1.25 R 20.68

-61.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 KES 205

$2.23 R 36.76

-29.15%

Eggs

$1.35 KES 175

$3.11 R 51.2

-56.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.29 KES 556

$9.06 R 149

-52.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 KES 449

$6.92 R 114

-50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.55 KES 460

$9.30 R 153

-61.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 KES 161

$1.84 R 30.25

-32.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 KES 142

$1.96 R 32.29

-44.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 KES 147

$1.67 R 27.45

-32.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 KES 78.6

$2.17 R 35.70

-71.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 KES 95.5

$1.57 R 25.81

-52.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 KES 61.4

$1.48 R 24.45

-68.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 94.1

$1.30 R 21.41

-43.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 KES 56.7

$1.13 R 18.60

-61.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 KES 298

$3.60 R 59.3

-36.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.13 KES 1,184

$6.15 R 101

48.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 KES 295

$1.38 R 22.66

65.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 KES 365

$2.14 R 35.20

31.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 KES 204

$0.59 R 9.71

166.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 KES 198

$1.50 R 24.65

2.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 KES 381

$5.11 R 84.2

-42.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 KES 210

$1.55 R 25.50

4.52%

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

$21.6K KES 2.8M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-40.26%

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

$20.0K KES 2.6M

$31.2K R 514.8K

-36.03%

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

$55.0 KES 7,130

$114 R 1,883

-51.89%

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

$14.94 KES 1,938

$28.91 R 476

-48.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 KES 4,522

$39.73 R 654

-12.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 KES 980

$9.15 R 151

-17.38%

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

$252 KES 32.7K

$259 R 4,264

-2.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K KES 1.6M

$6,794 R 111.9K

84.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.60 KES 3,709

$56.2 R 926

-49.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.63 KES 3,841

$32.41 R 534

-8.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 KES 8,913

$121 R 1,987

-42.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.7 KES 7,611

$108 R 1,781

-45.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 KES 19.7K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-85.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.0K

$717 R 11.8K

-83.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 KES 30.5K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-87.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 KES 30.5K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-82.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

10.97

34.09%

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

Last update for Ongata Rongai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ongata Rongai

$129 22.6%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 74.7% $96

Accommodation & Living

Ongata Rongai

$116 20.3%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 518% $601

Eating Out

Ongata Rongai

$114 19.9%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 55% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ongata Rongai

$105 18.4%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 74.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Ongata Rongai

$84 14.6%

Cape Town

$143 9% 70.9% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Ongata Rongai

$15 * 2.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 345% $52

Getting Around

Ongata Rongai

$9.2 * 1.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 711% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $152 in Ongata Rongai versus $1,021 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 $19.00 in Ongata Rongai versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $129 vs $225 – making Ongata Rongai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Ongata Rongai

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

10:26 10:26 AM

1 h behind Ongata Rongai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,569

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ongata Rongai Cape Town 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ongata Rongai
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

Ongata Rongai vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 178% more than Ongata Rongai, 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 $856 per month in Ongata Rongai and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ongata Rongai, 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 $571 in Ongata Rongai and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 178%.

Kindergarten costs $252 per month in Ongata Rongai and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ongata Rongai, where all-in costs run around $571, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Ongata Rongai 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. Ongata Rongai costs $571 versus $1,586 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 Ongata Rongai. 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.