Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Louis and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Louis: $945 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Port Louis
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Port Louis Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Port Louis

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$945

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $945 per month in Port Louis vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Port Louis $945
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,579 per month in Port Louis vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Port Louis $1,579
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $2,212 per month in Port Louis vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Port Louis $2,212
Cape Town $3,307

Port Louis is about 40% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Port Louis sits 29% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.65 MUR 268

$11.78 R 195

-52.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.50 MUR 1,776

$46.55 R 772

-19.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 MUR 342

$5.96 R 98.9

20.97%

Cappuccino

$2.55 MUR 121

$2.47 R 41.01

3.24%

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

$1.11 MUR 52.6

$1.33 R 22.03

-16.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 MUR 29.22

$1.03 R 17.08

-39.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 MUR 121

$3.01 R 49.98

-14.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.83 MUR 229

$3.66 R 60.8

31.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 MUR 71.7

$1.39 R 23.08

8.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 MUR 36.78

$1.19 R 19.70

-34.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 MUR 54.1

$2.11 R 35.02

-45.97%

Eggs

$2.50 MUR 119

$3.01 R 49.84

-16.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.24 MUR 248

$8.96 R 149

-41.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.23 MUR 295

$6.65 R 110

-6.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.33 MUR 537

$9.29 R 154

21.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 MUR 128

$1.83 R 30.28

47.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.56 MUR 121

$1.90 R 31.47

34.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 MUR 67.3

$1.75 R 28.98

-18.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 MUR 142

$2.09 R 34.59

43.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 MUR 44.22

$1.55 R 25.78

-40.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 MUR 44.66

$1.49 R 24.65

-36.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MUR 34.55

$1.30 R 21.53

-43.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 MUR 40.15

$1.16 R 19.29

-26.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.48 MUR 307

$3.71 R 61.5

74.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.16 MUR 386

$6.06 R 101

34.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 MUR 76.4

$1.39 R 22.97

15.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 MUR 112

$2.20 R 36.51

7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.02 MUR 48.26

$1.51 R 25.11

-32.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.09 MUR 1,472

$61.0 R 1,011

-49.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 MUR 201

$0.63 R 10.38

573.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.16 MUR 150

$1.53 R 25.42

106.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.17 MUR 1,002

$4.81 R 79.8

340.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 MUR 66.3

$1.58 R 26.22

-11.39%

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

$36.0K MUR 1.7M

$35.5K R 588.7K

1.40%

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

$31.0K MUR 1.5M

$31.7K R 526.6K

-2.25%

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

$43.83 MUR 2,076

$116 R 1,930

-62.34%

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

$10.37 MUR 491

$28.37 R 471

-63.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.41 MUR 1,345

$40.69 R 675

-30.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.62 MUR 1,214

$48.85 R 810

-47.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.88 MUR 184

$11.13 R 185

-65.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 MUR 294

$8.83 R 146

-29.78%

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

$125 MUR 5,937

$261 R 4,336

-52.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,687 MUR 364.1K

$6,702 R 111.2K

14.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.2 MUR 3,611

$55.4 R 919

37.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.4 MUR 3,475

$32.27 R 535

127.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 MUR 5,574

$118 R 1,949

0.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 MUR 3,667

$107 R 1,775

-27.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$465 MUR 22.0K

$1,015 R 16.8K

-54.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 MUR 12.7K

$715 R 11.9K

-62.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 MUR 36.0K

$1,801 R 29.9K

-57.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$588 MUR 27.8K

$1,330 R 22.1K

-55.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,109 MUR 194.6K

$2,331 R 38.7K

76.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,047 MUR 49.6K

$1,513 R 25.1K

-30.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 MUR 31.7K

$1,636 R 27.1K

-59.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

10.97

-39.20%

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

Last update for Port Louis: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Louis

$269 28.5%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 166% $447

Groceries & Markets

Port Louis

$215 22.8%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 3.5% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Port Louis

$155 16.5%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 9.4% $15

Eating Out

Port Louis

$127 13.5%

Cape Town

$174 11% 37% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Louis

$83 8.8%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 125% $103

Getting Around

Port Louis

$55 5.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 36.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Port Louis

$38 4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 74.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $465 in Port Louis versus $1,015 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 144% 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 $37.00 in Port Louis versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $215 vs $222 – making Port Louis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Port Louis

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

04:57 4:57 AM

2 h behind Port Louis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

147,688 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.11 USD

100 MUR = 1.88 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 47.36 MUR (100 MUR = 2.11 USD). 1 EUR = 53.12 MUR (100 MUR = 1.88 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Louis Cape Town 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Cape Town costs about 66% more than Port Louis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,418 per month in Port Louis and $2,352 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 Louis, 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 $945 in Port Louis and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 66%.

Public transport costs about 96% less in Port Louis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Louis, where all-in costs run around $945, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Port Louis 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 Louis costs $945 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Port Louis. 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.