Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Denis and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $1,800 in Saint-Denis, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Denis
Learn more

Saint-Denis Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Saint-Denis

🇷🇪 Reunion

$1,800

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,800 per month in Saint-Denis vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Saint-Denis $1,800
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $3,171 per month in Saint-Denis vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Saint-Denis $3,171
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $4,543 per month in Saint-Denis vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Saint-Denis $4,543
Cape Town $3,307

Saint-Denis costs about 15% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Saint-Denis and Cape Town sit above the global median – Saint-Denis by 34%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.56 €12.10

$11.78 R 194

15.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.0 €70.5

$46.55 R 768

69.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.63 €13.95

$5.96 R 98.4

162.25%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.16

$2.47 R 40.80

43.32%

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

$2.58 €2.31

$1.33 R 21.91

93.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.03 R 16.99

142.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.07

$3.01 R 49.72

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 €4.15

$3.66 R 60.4

27.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.52

$1.39 R 22.96

22.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 R 19.60

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$2.11 R 34.84

40.28%

Eggs

$4.51 €4.03

$3.01 R 49.58

49.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.10 €17.94

$8.96 R 148

124.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.24 €11.81

$6.65 R 110

99.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.24 €29.66

$9.29 R 153

257.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.13

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 R 31.31

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 R 28.83

Tomato (1kg)

$5.45 €4.87

$2.09 R 34.41

160.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.55 R 25.64

Onion (1kg)

$4.51 €4.02

$1.49 R 24.53

202.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.30 R 21.41

76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.16 R 19.19

63.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.39 €10.17

$3.71 R 61.2

207.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.55 €11.20

$6.06 R 100

107.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$1.39 R 22.85

137.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.04

$2.20 R 36.32

55.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.51 R 24.98

68.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.40 €38.73

$61.0 R 1,006

-28.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 R 25.29

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.58 R 26.08

18.35%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$146 €130

$116 R 1,920

25.39%

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

$17.61 €15.72

$28.37 R 468

-37.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.07 €38.44

$40.69 R 671

5.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.35 €32.44

$48.85 R 806

-25.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.43 €11.98

$11.13 R 184

20.66%

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 €9.91

$8.83 R 146

25.82%

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

$261 R 4,314

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$148 €132

$55.4 R 914

166.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 €112

$118 R 1,939

6.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$107 R 1,766

6.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 €820

$1,015 R 16.7K

-9.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$657 €586

$715 R 11.8K

-8.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,534 €1,369

$1,801 R 29.7K

-14.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,951 €1,741

$1,330 R 22.0K

46.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,331 R 38.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,513 R 25.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,054 €1,833

$1,636 R 27.0K

25.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Saint-Denis: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Denis

$657 36.8%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 8.9% $59

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Denis

$390 * 21.9%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 42.9% $167

Eating Out

Saint-Denis

$245 13.7%

Cape Town

$174 11% 29% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Denis

$207 11.6%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 10.3% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Denis

$174 * 9.8%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 19.2% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Denis

$59 3.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 13.6% $7.9

Getting Around

Saint-Denis

$54 * 3%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 40.6% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $918 in Saint-Denis 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 26% higher in Saint-Denis, 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 $79.0 in Saint-Denis versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇪 Saint-Denis

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:28 2:28 PM

12:28 12:28 PM

2 h behind Saint-Denis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,765 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saint-Denis Cape Town 3,910 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Denis
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

Saint-Denis vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint-Denis costs about 15% 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 $2,699 per month in Saint-Denis 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 Cape Town, 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 $1,800 in Saint-Denis and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 15%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Saint-Denis and $47.00 in Cape Town. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,568, than in Saint-Denis at $1,800. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint-Denis it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $1,800 in Saint-Denis. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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