Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Cape Town Cost of Living Comparison Between Polokwane and Cape Town

🙂 Solo nomad: Polokwane is 24.7% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 35.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Polokwane is 11.9% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 37.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Polokwane
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.62 R 157
$11.06 R 180
-13.02%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.45 R 676
$45.39 R 740
-8.68%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.82 R 78.7
$5.09 R 82.9
-5.30%
Cappuccino
$2.24 R 36.46
$2.08 R 33.88
7.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.88 R 14.33
$1.16 R 18.97
-24.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.80 R 13.02
$0.89 R 14.55
-10.11%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.66 R 27.07
$2.84 R 46.27
-41.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.94 R 31.68
$2.45 R 39.90
-20.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Polokwane
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.19 R 19.36
$1.10 R 17.88
8.18%
White Bread (500g)
$0.97 R 15.75
$1.10 R 17.86
-11.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.64 R 26.74
$1.83 R 29.85
-10.38%
Eggs
$2.44 R 39.85
$2.50 R 40.77
-2.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.88 R 112
$8.65 R 141
-20.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.35 R 54.6
$5.06 R 82.5
-33.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.67 R 92.4
$7.58 R 124
-25.20%
Apples (1kg)
$1.62 R 26.40
$1.57 R 25.61
3.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 R 24.16
$1.41 R 23.04
4.96%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.38
$1.50 R 24.51
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.60 R 26.16
$1.53 R 24.94
4.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.48 R 24.13
$1.09 R 17.69
35.78%
Onion (1kg)
$1.24 R 20.17
$1.18 R 19.27
5.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 R 16.95
$1.06 R 17.27
-1.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 R 11.81
$0.99 R 16.09
-27.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.60 R 42.32
$3.11 R 50.6
-16.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.83 R 78.8
$6.36 R 104
-24.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 R 17.56
$1.37 R 22.31
-21.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.25 R 20.36
$1.75 R 28.60
-28.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Polokwane
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.28 R 53.4
$0.92 R 14.94
256.52%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$48.28 R 787
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.82 R 13.42
$1.38 R 22.45
-40.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.95 R 15.50
$0.93 R 15.16
2.15%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.98 R 64.9
$4.37 R 71.2
-8.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 R 19.36
$1.20 R 19.56
-0.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$14.0K R 228.1K
$21.6K R 351.9K
-35.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.8K R 371.6K
$24.0K R 391.3K
-5.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Polokwane
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$118 R 1,923
$101 R 1,654
16.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$39.89 R 650
$32.97 R 537
20.99%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.50 R 611
$40.85 R 666
-8.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Polokwane
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.39 R 365
$42.59 R 694
-47.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$7.89 R 129
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.40 R 121
$6.62 R 108
11.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Polokwane
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$168 R 2,735
$213 R 3,469
-21.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,367 R 22.3K
$5,331 R 86.9K
-74.36%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Polokwane
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$33.06 R 539
$54.6 R 890
-39.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.12 R 556
$33.27 R 542
2.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$74.3 R 1,210
$114 R 1,866
-35.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.3 R 1,275
$84.0 R 1,369
-6.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Polokwane
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$254 R 4,140
$767 R 12.5K
-66.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$177 R 2,882
$525 R 8,551
-66.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,047
$1,440 R 23.5K
-74.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$277 R 4,522
$1,008 R 16.4K
-72.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,240 R 36.5K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,451 R 23.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Polokwane
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,490 R 24.3K
$1,707 R 27.8K
-12.69%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.51
11.77
-2.21%

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

Last update for Polokwane: April 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: April 14, 2026

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

Polokwane vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities