Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,216 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,216

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,216 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $1,216
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,835 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $1,835
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,453 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $2,453
Cape Town $3,263

Port Elizabeth is about 23% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Port Elizabeth sits 10% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.00 R 181

$12.14 R 200

-9.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.67 R 687

$45.34 R 747

-8.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 R 96.2

$5.88 R 96.9

-0.68%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 35.81

$2.50 R 41.18

-13.20%

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

$1.03 R 16.91

$1.27 R 20.94

-18.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R 12.59

$0.98 R 16.14

-22.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 R 44.37

$2.99 R 49.33

-10.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.24 R 53.3

$3.72 R 61.4

-12.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.39

$1.30 R 21.40

-13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.20

$1.25 R 20.68

-16.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.94

$2.23 R 36.76

-32.29%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.35

$3.11 R 51.2

-9.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 R 141

$9.06 R 149

-5.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 R 87.7

$6.92 R 114

-22.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.36 R 138

$9.30 R 153

-10.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 R 36.04

$1.84 R 30.25

19.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.58

$1.96 R 32.29

-23.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.04

$1.67 R 27.45

1.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.74

$2.17 R 35.70

-16.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.41

$1.57 R 25.81

5.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.83

$1.48 R 24.45

-2.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 R 20.72

$1.30 R 21.41

-3.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 R 16.39

$1.13 R 18.60

-12.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 R 53.8

$3.60 R 59.3

-9.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 R 79.4

$6.15 R 101

-21.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.99

$1.38 R 22.66

-7.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 30.00

$2.14 R 35.20

-14.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.10 R 18.17

$1.50 R 24.65

-26.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.67 R 604

$60.8 R 1,001

-39.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.04 R 33.68

$0.59 R 9.71

245.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.25

$1.50 R 24.65

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 R 139

$5.11 R 84.2

65.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.38

$1.55 R 25.50

-4.52%

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

$35.8K R 589.5K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-1.18%

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

$34.1K R 562.5K

$31.2K R 514.8K

9.26%

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

$125 R 2,058

$114 R 1,883

9.27%

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

$34.90 R 575

$28.91 R 476

20.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.55 R 734

$39.73 R 654

12.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.20 R 530

$49.01 R 808

-34.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.27 R 383

$10.99 R 181

111.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.74 R 177

$9.15 R 151

17.38%

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

$177 R 2,924

$259 R 4,264

-31.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,046 R 99.6K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-11.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.4 R 1,193

$56.2 R 926

28.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 R 631

$32.41 R 534

18.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,806

$121 R 1,987

-9.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.6 R 1,574

$108 R 1,781

-11.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 R 9,859

$1,021 R 16.8K

-41.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 R 6,838

$717 R 11.8K

-42.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$808 R 13.3K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-55.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$682 R 11.2K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-48.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.6K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-68.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$522 R 8,604

$1,542 R 25.4K

-66.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,625 R 26.8K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-0.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

10.97

8.84%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Elizabeth

$415 34.1%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 72.7% $302

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Elizabeth

$204 16.8%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 10.5% $21

Groceries & Markets

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 14.4% $28

Eating Out

Port Elizabeth

$159 13.1%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 11% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7%

Cape Town

$143 9% 0.4% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Port Elizabeth

$54 4.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 25.4% $14

Getting Around

Port Elizabeth

$46 3.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 63.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $598 in Port Elizabeth 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.

Salaries run about 1% higher in Cape Town, 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 $42.00 in Port Elizabeth versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $225 – making Port Elizabeth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

Same time as Port Elizabeth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,050,000

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Elizabeth Cape Town 660 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Port Elizabeth
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

Port Elizabeth vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 30% more than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,824 per month in Port Elizabeth 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 Port Elizabeth, 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 $1,216 in Port Elizabeth and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 66% less in Port Elizabeth. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Elizabeth, where all-in costs run around $1,216, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Port Elizabeth 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. Port Elizabeth costs $1,216 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 Port Elizabeth. 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.