Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rustenburg and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Rustenburg: $799 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rustenburg
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Rustenburg Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Rustenburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$799

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $799 per month in Rustenburg vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rustenburg $799
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,318 per month in Rustenburg vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rustenburg $1,318
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,837 per month in Rustenburg vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Rustenburg $1,837
Cape Town $3,263

Rustenburg is about 50% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.11 R 101

$12.14 R 200

-49.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.66 R 719

$45.34 R 747

-3.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.28 R 103

$5.88 R 96.9

6.80%

Cappuccino

$2.03 R 33.47

$2.50 R 41.18

-18.80%

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

$0.96 R 15.75

$1.27 R 20.94

-24.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R 8.26

$0.98 R 16.14

-48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R 24.37

$2.99 R 49.33

-50.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 R 34.40

$3.72 R 61.4

-43.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.38

$1.30 R 21.40

-13.85%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 R 16.36

$1.25 R 20.68

-20.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.20

$2.23 R 36.76

-20.63%

Eggs

$2.70 R 44.53

$3.11 R 51.2

-13.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.35 R 121

$9.06 R 149

-18.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.01 R 82.6

$6.92 R 114

-27.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.44 R 106

$9.30 R 153

-30.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.00

$1.84 R 30.25

-4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.27

$1.96 R 32.29

-18.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.47

$1.67 R 27.45

7.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 R 18.78

$2.17 R 35.70

-47.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 R 21.96

$1.57 R 25.81

-15.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 R 17.89

$1.48 R 24.45

-26.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.15

$1.30 R 21.41

-1.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.48

$1.13 R 18.60

-16.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 R 51.5

$3.60 R 59.3

-13.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.96 R 98.2

$6.15 R 101

-3.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 R 9.55

$1.38 R 22.66

-57.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 R 15.61

$2.14 R 35.20

-55.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 R 13.48

$0.59 R 9.71

38.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 R 14.42

$1.50 R 24.65

-41.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.67 R 242

$5.11 R 84.2

187.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.55

$1.55 R 25.50

-7.74%

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

$28.4K R 468.3K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-21.50%

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

$27.6K R 455.5K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-11.51%

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

$74.9 R 1,233

$114 R 1,883

-34.53%

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

$13.66 R 225

$28.91 R 476

-52.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.01 R 593

$39.73 R 654

-9.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.21 R 349

$49.01 R 808

-56.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.21 R 102

$10.99 R 181

-43.49%

Cinema Ticket

$4.94 R 81.5

$9.15 R 151

-46.01%

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

$112 R 1,841

$259 R 4,264

-56.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,493 R 90.5K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-19.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.05 R 709

$56.2 R 926

-23.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.85 R 772

$32.41 R 534

44.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 R 1,798

$121 R 1,987

-9.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 R 901

$108 R 1,781

-49.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$336 R 5,537

$1,021 R 16.8K

-67.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$239 R 3,937

$717 R 11.8K

-66.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-60.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$520 R 8,559

$1,327 R 21.9K

-60.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,085 R 17.9K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-33.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.9

10.97

-9.75%

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

Last update for Rustenburg: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rustenburg

$239 29.9%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 200% $478

Groceries & Markets

Rustenburg

$176 22%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 27.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rustenburg

$125 15.6%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 46.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Rustenburg

$114 14.3%

Cape Town

$143 9% 25.1% $29

Eating Out

Rustenburg

$110 13.7%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 60.9% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Rustenburg

$31 3.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 116% $36

Getting Around

Rustenburg

$5.2 * 0.7%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 1339% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $336 in Rustenburg 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 51% 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 $44.00 in Rustenburg versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $225 – making Rustenburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Rustenburg

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

12:47 12:47 PM

Same time as Rustenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

549,575

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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Between locations

Rustenburg Cape Town 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Rustenburg
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

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

Cape Town costs about 98% more than Rustenburg, 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 $1,199 per month in Rustenburg 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 Rustenburg, 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 $799 in Rustenburg and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 98%.

Kindergarten costs $112 per month in Rustenburg and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rustenburg, where all-in costs run around $799, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Rustenburg 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. Rustenburg costs $799 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 Rustenburg. 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.