Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Passos and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Passos: $888 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Passos
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Passos Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Passos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$888

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $888 per month in Passos vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Passos $888
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,429 per month in Passos vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Passos $1,429
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,970 per month in Passos vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Passos $1,970
Cape Town $3,306

Passos is about 42% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Passos sits 34% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.01 R$49.20

$12.01 R 197

-24.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.79 R$185

$42.92 R 703

-21.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.39 R$45.82

$6.15 R 101

36.42%

Cappuccino

$2.12 R$11.56

$2.37 R 38.81

-10.55%

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

$1.24 R$6.79

$1.27 R 20.84

-2.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 R$4.52

$0.94 R 15.37

-11.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 R$11.93

$2.96 R 48.48

-26.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 R$19.75

$3.69 R 60.5

-2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.94 R$5.14

$1.32 R 21.61

-28.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 R$10.22

$1.21 R 19.75

54.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 R$7.05

$2.20 R 36.05

-41.36%

Eggs

$2.34 R$12.77

$3.10 R 50.8

-24.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.94 R$54.3

$8.73 R 143

13.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.57 R$24.98

$6.89 R 113

-33.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.71 R$53.0

$9.26 R 152

4.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 R$12.17

$1.83 R 29.90

21.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 R$8.60

$1.95 R 31.94

-19.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 R$7.96

$1.66 R 27.16

-12.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 R$6.86

$2.14 R 34.99

-41.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.67

$1.58 R 25.86

-22.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 R$6.38

$1.47 R 24.15

-20.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R$5.03

$1.35 R 22.05

-31.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$4.34

$1.14 R 18.75

-30.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 R$12.59

$3.58 R 58.6

-35.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.57 R$41.33

$6.05 R 99.2

25.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 R$7.93

$1.39 R 22.82

4.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 R$12.67

$2.18 R 35.69

6.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.13

$1.40 R 22.88

-32.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.69 R$233

$60.8 R 995

-29.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 R$6.20

$0.93 R 15.18

21.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.95

$0.90 R 14.75

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.14 R$44.46

$4.96 R 81.3

64.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.83

$1.54 R 25.23

-18.83%

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

$21.3K R$116.6K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-39.65%

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

$30.8K R$168.3K

$33.4K R 546.7K

-7.68%

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

$62.3 R$340

$117 R 1,918

-46.79%

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

$13.64 R$74.6

$25.71 R 421

-46.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.05 R$115

$39.41 R 646

-46.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.58 R$134

$51.6 R 846

-52.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.72 R$141

$11.35 R 186

126.61%

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 R$39.89

$8.89 R 146

-17.89%

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

$415 R$2,269

$308 R 5,040

35.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K R$55.7K

$8,141 R 133.4K

25.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 R$337

$57.4 R 940

7.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.9 R$295

$31.75 R 520

69.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.3 R$450

$116 R 1,900

-28.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.1 R$399

$101 R 1,650

-27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 R$1,835

$1,047 R 17.1K

-67.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$226 R$1,234

$669 R 11.0K

-66.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$621 R$3,392

$1,861 R 30.5K

-66.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$443 R$2,420

$1,407 R 23.1K

-68.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,555 R$8,498

$2,410 R 39.5K

-35.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,126 R$6,153

$1,570 R 25.7K

-28.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$393 R$2,146

$1,630 R 26.7K

-75.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

10.89

-0.73%

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

Last update for Passos: 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

Passos

$226 25.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 196% $443

Groceries & Markets

Passos

$203 22.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 9.8% $20

Eating Out

Passos

$149 16.8%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 16.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Passos

$122 13.7%

Cape Town

$138 9% 12.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Passos

$97 10.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 87.8% $85

Getting Around

Passos

$51 5.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 40.2% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Passos

$39 4.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 77.1% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $336 in Passos 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.

Salaries in Cape Town are about 4.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Passos versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $203 vs $223 – making Passos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Passos

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

19:33 7:33 PM

5 h ahead of Passos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,939

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.41 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Passos Cape Town 6,490 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Passos
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

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

Cape Town costs about 72% more than Passos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,331 per month in Passos 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 Passos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $336 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $888 in Passos and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Passos about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Passos. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Passos, where all-in costs run around $888, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Passos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $888 in Passos to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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