Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rennes and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $1,838 in Rennes, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Rennes
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Rennes Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Rennes

🇫🇷 France

$1,838

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,838 per month in Rennes vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rennes $1,838
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,786 per month in Rennes vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rennes $2,786
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,734 per month in Rennes vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rennes $3,734
Cape Town $3,306

Rennes costs about 20% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Rennes and Cape Town sit above the global median – Rennes by 36%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.38 €12.81

$12.01 R 197

19.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.3 €59.1

$42.92 R 703

54.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.06

$6.15 R 101

120.16%

Cappuccino

$3.68 €3.28

$2.37 R 38.81

55.27%

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

$2.69 €2.40

$1.27 R 20.84

111.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$0.94 R 15.37

127.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 €7.02

$2.96 R 48.48

166.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.50 €4.90

$3.69 R 60.5

49.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.32 R 21.61

-6.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.21 R 19.75

63.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.20 R 36.05

55.91%

Eggs

$3.56 €3.17

$3.10 R 50.8

14.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.91 €15.06

$8.73 R 143

93.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.95 €11.54

$6.89 R 113

87.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.85 €21.25

$9.26 R 152

157.56%

Apples (1kg)

$3.38 €3.01

$1.83 R 29.90

84.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.95 R 31.94

-1.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.66 R 27.16

53.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$2.14 R 34.99

47.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.58 R 25.86

43.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.45 €3.07

$1.47 R 24.15

134.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.35 R 22.05

14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$1.14 R 18.75

-25.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.68 €12.19

$3.58 R 58.6

282.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.61 €5.89

$6.05 R 99.2

9.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$1.39 R 22.82

145.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 €3.19

$2.18 R 35.69

64.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.40 R 22.88

34.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.2 €49.14

$60.8 R 995

-9.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.63 €3.24

$0.93 R 15.18

290.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.90 R 14.75

32.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.64 €32.64

$4.96 R 81.3

638.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.54 R 25.23

46.10%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$35.4K R 579.4K

-2.70%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$33.4K R 546.7K

15.51%

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

$159 €141

$117 R 1,918

35.40%

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

$13.18 €11.74

$25.71 R 421

-48.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.52 €28.08

$39.41 R 646

-20.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.18 €34.90

$51.6 R 846

-24.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 186

Cinema Ticket

$13.54 €12.06

$8.89 R 146

52.31%

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

$1,816 €1,618

$308 R 5,040

490.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,038 €2,706

$8,141 R 133.4K

-62.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.5

$57.4 R 940

82.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.4 €52.0

$31.75 R 520

83.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €97.7

$116 R 1,900

-5.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 €122

$101 R 1,650

35.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$815 €726

$1,047 R 17.1K

-22.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 €600

$669 R 11.0K

0.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 €1,330

$1,861 R 30.5K

-19.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €979

$1,407 R 23.1K

-21.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,141 €5,471

$2,410 R 39.5K

154.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,445 €3,069

$1,570 R 25.7K

119.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,141 €2,798

$1,630 R 26.7K

92.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

10.89

-64.10%

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

Last update for Rennes: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rennes

$674 36.7%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 0.7% $4.5

Groceries & Markets

Rennes

$369 20.1%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 39.5% $146

Eating Out

Rennes

$270 14.7%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 35.4% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rennes

$203 11.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 10.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Rennes

$184 10%

Cape Town

$138 9% 25.4% $47

Getting Around

Rennes

$72 3.9%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 0.7% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Rennes

$66 3.6%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 4.7% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $815 in Rennes 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 93% higher in Rennes. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Rennes versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $369 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Rennes

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

02:14 2:14 AM

1 h ahead of Rennes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

225,081

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Rennes Cape Town 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Rennes
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

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

Rennes costs about 20% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,758 per month in Rennes 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 Rennes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $815 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,838 in Rennes and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 17% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Rennes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,838 in Rennes and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,527 versus $1,838 in Rennes. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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