Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town

🙂 Solo nomad: Port Elizabeth is 7.5% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 8.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Port Elizabeth is 4.7% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 10.3% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.76 R 143

$11.06 R 180

-20.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.39 R 724

$45.39 R 740

-2.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 R 85.0

$5.09 R 82.9

2.55%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R 35.63

$2.08 R 33.88

5.29%

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

$1.14 R 18.65

$1.16 R 18.97

-1.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.19

$0.89 R 14.55

11.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 R 41.37

$2.84 R 46.27

-10.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 R 46.75

$2.45 R 39.90

17.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R 17.59

$1.10 R 17.88

-1.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 R 15.43

$1.10 R 17.86

-13.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.17

$1.83 R 29.85

-19.13%

Eggs

$2.39 R 38.90

$2.50 R 40.77

-4.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.72 R 126

$8.65 R 141

-10.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.71 R 76.8

$5.06 R 82.5

-6.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.20 R 134

$7.58 R 124

8.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 R 27.67

$1.57 R 25.61

8.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R 22.44

$1.41 R 23.04

-2.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.04

$1.50 R 24.51

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.16

$1.53 R 24.94

0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.40

$1.09 R 17.69

37.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R 18.13

$1.18 R 19.27

-5.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 R 18.35

$1.06 R 17.27

6.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.32

$0.99 R 16.09

-5.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.86 R 46.65

$3.11 R 50.6

-8.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.74 R 77.3

$6.36 R 104

-25.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R 18.60

$1.37 R 22.31

-16.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 R 26.68

$1.75 R 28.60

-6.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R 17.74

$0.92 R 14.94

18.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.81 R 551

$48.28 R 787

-29.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 R 43.35

$1.38 R 22.45

92.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 R 7.28

$0.93 R 15.16

-51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.94 R 129

$4.37 R 71.2

81.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 R 21.61

$1.20 R 19.56

10.83%

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

$23.3K R 379.6K

$21.6K R 351.9K

7.87%

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

$25.5K R 415.6K

$24.0K R 391.3K

6.22%

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

$116 R 1,897

$101 R 1,654

14.73%

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

$32.60 R 531

$32.97 R 537

-1.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.36 R 739

$40.85 R 666

11.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.41 R 479

$42.59 R 694

-30.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.21 R 346

$7.89 R 129

168.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.63 R 157

$6.62 R 108

45.47%

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

$164 R 2,674

$213 R 3,469

-22.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,879 R 79.5K

$5,331 R 86.9K

-8.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.5 R 1,084

$54.6 R 890

21.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.37 R 609

$33.27 R 542

12.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 R 1,555

$114 R 1,866

-16.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 R 1,455

$84.0 R 1,369

6.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$579 R 9,442

$767 R 12.5K

-24.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 R 7,308

$525 R 8,551

-14.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 R 18.4K

$1,440 R 23.5K

-21.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$848 R 13.8K

$1,008 R 16.4K

-15.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$767 R 12.5K

$2,240 R 36.5K

-65.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$542 R 8,827

$1,451 R 23.6K

-62.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,621 R 26.4K

$1,707 R 27.8K

-5.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.04

11.77

2.29%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: April 11, 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

Port Elizabeth vs other spots: cost of living compared

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