Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saintes and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,556 a month against $1,872 in Saintes, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Saintes
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Saintes Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Saintes

🇫🇷 France

$1,872

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,872 per month in Saintes vs $1,556 in Cape Town, rent included.

Saintes $1,872
Cape Town $1,556

A couple spends around $2,858 per month in Saintes vs $2,432 in Cape Town, rent included.

Saintes $2,858
Cape Town $2,432

A family of three spends $3,843 per month in Saintes vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Saintes $3,843
Cape Town $3,307

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

Both Saintes and Cape Town sit above the global median – Saintes by 38%, Cape Town by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.58 €20.29

$12.09 R 201

86.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 €61.4

$44.34 R 738

54.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 €5.86

$6.15 R 102

6.02%

Cappuccino

$3.69 €3.31

$2.36 R 39.24

56.36%

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

$2.71 €2.44

$1.26 R 21.03

115.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.00 R 16.56

35.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.35 €6.60

$3.08 R 51.2

138.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.62 €4.15

$3.70 R 61.5

24.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.34 R 22.38

-22.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.19 R 19.86

55.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 €1.69

$2.10 R 34.96

-10.48%

Eggs

$2.26 €2.03

$3.05 R 50.7

-25.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.82 €21.41

$8.73 R 145

172.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.79 €10.59

$6.97 R 116

69.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.67 €15.88

$9.39 R 156

88.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 €3.77

$1.89 R 31.39

122.22%

Banana (1kg)

$3.71 €3.33

$1.88 R 31.27

97.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.69 R 28.04

14.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.14 €4.62

$2.04 R 34.02

151.96%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 €0.68

$1.57 R 26.08

-51.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.48 R 24.61

-18.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.28 R 21.33

33.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.31

$1.19 R 19.78

-71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.46 €12.99

$3.63 R 60.4

298.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 €11.62

$6.17 R 103

109.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 €2.15

$1.39 R 23.10

71.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.18 R 36.27

8.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.67

$1.37 R 22.79

35.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.69

$61.3 R 1,020

-27.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.93

$0.57 R 9.56

666.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.31 €2.08

$1.48 R 24.58

56.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.94 €30.49

$4.90 R 81.5

592.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 €1.74

$1.58 R 26.25

22.78%

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

$36.5K €32.8K

$34.7K R 577.5K

5.10%

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

$38.1K €34.2K

$34.1K R 567.4K

11.58%

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

$134 €120

$117 R 1,945

14.64%

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

$11.13 €10.00

$28.35 R 472

-60.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.75 €30.33

$40.58 R 675

-16.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.92 €32.27

$48.54 R 808

-26.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.80 R 180

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 €8.91

$9.11 R 152

8.78%

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

$849 €762

$302 R 5,024

181.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K €9,791

$6,720 R 111.8K

62.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.9

$55.2 R 919

97.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.98 €35.02

$32.70 R 544

19.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.0

$118 R 1,961

-8.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$104 R 1,728

44.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$691 €621

$1,041 R 17.3K

-33.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 €644

$691 R 11.5K

3.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,441 €1,295

$1,981 R 33.0K

-27.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,179 €1,060

$1,388 R 23.1K

-15.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,571 €3,209

$2,420 R 40.3K

47.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,323 €2,986

$1,552 R 25.8K

114.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,576 R 26.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

10.97

-65.45%

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

Last update for Saintes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saintes

$717 38.3%

Cape Town

$691 44.4% 3.6% $26

Groceries & Markets

Saintes

$364 19.4%

Cape Town

$224 14.4% 38.5% $140

Eating Out

Saintes

$307 16.4%

Cape Town

$175 11.3% 42.8% $131

Clothing & Footwear

Saintes

$183 9.8%

Cape Town

$139 9% 23.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saintes

$179 9.6%

Cape Town

$186 11.9% 3.9% $6.9

Getting Around

Saintes

$68 3.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 10.6% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Saintes

$56 3%

Cape Town

$67 4.3% 19.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $691 in Saintes versus $1,041 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Saintes versus $44 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $224 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saintes

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h ahead of Saintes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,518

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Saintes Cape Town 9,060 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Saintes
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

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

Saintes 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 $2,808 per month in Saintes and $2,335 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Saintes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $691 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,872 in Saintes and $1,556 in Cape Town. That’s a gap of about 20%.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Saintes. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,872 in Saintes and $1,556 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,556 in Cape Town to $1,872 in Saintes. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.