Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Quilmes and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Quilmes: $965 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Quilmes
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Quilmes Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Quilmes

🇦🇷 Argentina

$965

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Quilmes vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Quilmes $965
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,625 per month in Quilmes vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Quilmes $1,625
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,285 per month in Quilmes vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Quilmes $2,285
Cape Town $3,306

Quilmes is about 37% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Quilmes sits 29% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.65 ARS 8,724

$12.01 R 198

-52.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 ARS 53.1K

$42.92 R 707

-19.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 ARS 14.0K

$6.15 R 101

47.80%

Cappuccino

$2.92 ARS 4,516

$2.37 R 39.04

23.21%

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

$1.71 ARS 2,640

$1.27 R 20.96

34.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ARS 2,636

$0.94 R 15.46

81.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.91 ARS 6,044

$2.96 R 48.77

32.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ARS 3,505

$3.69 R 60.8

-38.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 ARS 1,578

$1.32 R 21.73

-22.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 ARS 2,421

$1.21 R 19.87

29.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ARS 2,571

$2.20 R 36.26

-24.55%

Eggs

$2.28 ARS 3,525

$3.10 R 51.1

-26.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.23 ARS 20.4K

$8.73 R 144

51.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 ARS 9,128

$6.89 R 114

-14.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 ARS 15.2K

$9.26 R 153

6.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 ARS 3,099

$1.83 R 30.08

9.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ARS 2,357

$1.95 R 32.12

-21.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 ARS 1,626

$1.66 R 27.32

-36.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 ARS 4,607

$2.14 R 35.19

39.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 ARS 1,540

$1.58 R 26.01

-36.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 ARS 979

$1.47 R 24.29

-57.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ARS 1,104

$1.35 R 22.18

-47.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ARS 1,133

$1.14 R 18.85

-35.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.95 ARS 7,649

$3.58 R 59.0

38.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.15 ARS 6,414

$6.05 R 99.7

-31.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ARS 1,910

$1.39 R 22.95

-10.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ARS 3,018

$2.18 R 35.90

-10.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,521

$1.40 R 23.02

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ARS 2,360

$0.93 R 15.26

64.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,586

$0.90 R 14.83

14.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 R 81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ARS 1,694

$1.54 R 25.37

-28.57%

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

$49.8K ARS 76.9M

$35.4K R 582.8K

40.71%

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

$38.9K ARS 60.0M

$33.4K R 549.9K

16.42%

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

$59.9 ARS 92.5K

$117 R 1,929

-48.85%

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

$14.37 ARS 22.2K

$25.71 R 424

-44.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.27 ARS 34.4K

$39.41 R 649

-43.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.86 ARS 49.2K

$51.6 R 850

-38.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.27 ARS 31.3K

$11.35 R 187

78.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 ARS 15.4K

$8.89 R 146

12.37%

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

$233 ARS 359.3K

$308 R 5,069

-24.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,175 ARS 6.4M

$8,141 R 134.2K

-48.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.3 ARS 147.2K

$57.4 R 946

66.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.60 ARS 53.4K

$31.75 R 523

8.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.1 ARS 99.0K

$116 R 1,911

-44.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 ARS 110.2K

$101 R 1,660

-29.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 ARS 796.9K

$1,047 R 17.2K

-50.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ARS 506.5K

$669 R 11.0K

-51.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 ARS 1.7M

$1,861 R 30.7K

-42.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$814 ARS 1.3M

$1,407 R 23.2K

-42.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,356 ARS 3.6M

$2,410 R 39.7K

-2.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,275 ARS 2.0M

$1,570 R 25.9K

-18.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ARS 1.7M

$1,630 R 26.9K

-31.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

100

10.89

818.27%

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

Last update for Quilmes: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Quilmes

$328 34%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 104% $341

Groceries & Markets

Quilmes

$213 22.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 4.7% $10

Eating Out

Quilmes

$145 15.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 19.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Quilmes

$119 12.4%

Cape Town

$138 9% 15.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quilmes

$97 10%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 88.7% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Quilmes

$52 5.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 33.9% $18

Getting Around

Quilmes

$11 * 1.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 577% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $516 in Quilmes versus $1,047 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 46% 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 $34 in Quilmes versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $223 – making Quilmes the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Quilmes

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

00:23 12:23 AM

05:23 5:23 AM

5 h ahead of Quilmes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

230,810

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,734 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.77 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Quilmes Cape Town 6,850 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Quilmes
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

Quilmes vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 58% more than Quilmes, 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 $1,447 per month in Quilmes and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Quilmes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $516 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $965 in Quilmes and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Quilmes about 37% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $233 per month in Quilmes and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $965 in Quilmes and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Quilmes – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Quilmes. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.