Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quatre Bornes and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Quatre Bornes: $797 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Quatre Bornes
🇲🇺 Mauritius
$797
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $797 per month in Quatre Bornes vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Quatre Bornes $797
  • Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,263 per month in Quatre Bornes vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Quatre Bornes $1,263
  • Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,729 per month in Quatre Bornes vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Quatre Bornes $1,729
  • Cape Town $3,263

Quatre Bornes is about 50% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Quatre Bornes sits 41% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Quatre Bornes
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.55 MUR 214
$12.14 R 200
-62.52%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.90 MUR 984
$45.34 R 747
-53.90%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.17 MUR 290
$5.88 R 96.9
4.93%
Cappuccino
$2.45 MUR 116
$2.50 R 41.18
-2.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.87 MUR 41.11
$1.27 R 20.94
-31.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 MUR 23.97
$0.98 R 16.14
-47.96%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.62 MUR 123
$2.99 R 49.33
-12.37%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.29 MUR 155
$3.72 R 61.4
-11.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Quatre Bornes
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.25 MUR 58.8
$1.30 R 21.40
-3.85%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 MUR 25.12
$1.25 R 20.68
-57.60%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.11 MUR 52.2
$2.23 R 36.76
-50.22%
Eggs
$1.87 MUR 88.3
$3.11 R 51.2
-39.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.88 MUR 136
$9.06 R 149
-68.21%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.75 MUR 177
$6.92 R 114
-45.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.26 MUR 389
$9.30 R 153
-11.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.76 MUR 130
$1.84 R 30.25
50.00%
Banana (1kg)
$2.61 MUR 123
$1.96 R 32.29
33.16%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.39 MUR 65.5
$1.67 R 27.45
-16.77%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.88 MUR 136
$2.17 R 35.70
32.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.01 MUR 47.61
$1.57 R 25.81
-35.67%
Onion (1kg)
$0.99 MUR 46.43
$1.48 R 24.45
-33.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 MUR 34.12
$1.30 R 21.41
-44.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 MUR 42.36
$1.13 R 18.60
-20.35%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.84 MUR 275
$3.60 R 59.3
62.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.53 MUR 402
$6.15 R 101
38.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.69 MUR 79.5
$1.38 R 22.66
22.46%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 MUR 106
$2.14 R 35.20
5.14%
🚌 Getting Around
Quatre Bornes
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.77 MUR 36.38
$1.50 R 24.65
-48.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$60.8 R 1,001
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.28 MUR 201
$0.59 R 9.71
625.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.23 MUR 152
$1.50 R 24.65
115.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.98 MUR 988
$5.11 R 84.2
310.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 MUR 65.1
$1.55 R 25.50
-10.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.9K MUR 889.3K
$36.2K R 596.5K
-47.83%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.1K MUR 1.3M
$31.2K R 514.8K
-13.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Quatre Bornes
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$31.01 MUR 1,460
$114 R 1,883
-72.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.36 MUR 488
$28.91 R 476
-64.16%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$28.88 MUR 1,360
$39.73 R 654
-27.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Quatre Bornes
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.89 MUR 1,360
$49.01 R 808
-41.05%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.39 MUR 395
$10.99 R 181
-23.66%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MUR 301
$9.15 R 151
-30.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Quatre Bornes
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$119 MUR 5,606
$259 R 4,264
-54.00%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,744 MUR 364.6K
$6,794 R 111.9K
13.98%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Quatre Bornes
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.9 MUR 3,571
$56.2 R 926
35.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$74.7 MUR 3,518
$32.41 R 534
130.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$118 MUR 5,542
$121 R 1,987
-2.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.3 MUR 3,641
$108 R 1,781
-28.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Quatre Bornes
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$310 MUR 14.6K
$1,021 R 16.8K
-69.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$216 MUR 10.2K
$717 R 11.8K
-69.82%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$667 MUR 31.4K
$1,824 R 30.1K
-63.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$430 MUR 20.2K
$1,327 R 21.9K
-67.60%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,148 MUR 54.0K
$2,391 R 39.4K
-52.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,542 R 25.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Quatre Bornes
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$522 MUR 24.6K
$1,639 R 27.0K
-68.13%
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 Quatre Bornes: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Quatre Bornes
$216
Cape Town
$717 231% $501
Groceries & Markets
Quatre Bornes
$180
Cape Town
$225 24.9% $45
Clothing & Footwear
Quatre Bornes
$156
Cape Town
$143 8.2% $13
Eating Out
Quatre Bornes
$110
Cape Town
$176 60.8% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Quatre Bornes
$70
Cape Town
$183 160% $113
Sport & Entertainment
Quatre Bornes
$42
Cape Town
$67 61.5% $26
Getting Around
Quatre Bornes
$24 *
Cape Town
$75 218% $51

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Quatre Bornes 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 214% 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 $21.00 in Quatre Bornes versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $180 vs $225 – making Quatre Bornes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇲🇺 Quatre Bornes
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
22:29 10:29 PM
20:29 8:29 PM
2 h behind Quatre Bornes
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
81,773
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Quatre Bornes Cape Town 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Quatre Bornes
  • 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
Quatre Bornes vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Quatre Bornes or Cape Town?
Cape Town costs about 99% more than Quatre Bornes, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Quatre Bornes and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,195 per month in Quatre Bornes and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Quatre Bornes or Cape Town?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Quatre Bornes, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Quatre Bornes compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $797 in Quatre Bornes and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 99%.
How do childcare costs compare in Quatre Bornes and in Cape Town?
Kindergarten costs $119 per month in Quatre Bornes and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Quatre Bornes or in Cape Town?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Quatre Bornes, where all-in costs run around $797, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Quatre Bornes it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Quatre Bornes or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Quatre Bornes costs $797 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Quatre Bornes compared to Cape Town?
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.
Should I move to Quatre Bornes or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Quatre Bornes. 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.

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