Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sal and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Sal: $857 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Sal
Learn more

Sal Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Sal

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$857

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $857 per month in Sal vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sal $857
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,347 per month in Sal vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sal $1,347
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $1,836 per month in Sal vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sal $1,836
Cape Town $3,307

Sal is about 45% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sal sits 36% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.71 CVE 562

$11.78 R 195

-51.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.45 CVE 4,571

$46.55 R 772

-0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 CVE 1,122

$5.96 R 98.9

91.28%

Cappuccino

$2.27 CVE 223

$2.47 R 41.01

-8.10%

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

$2.69 CVE 265

$1.33 R 22.03

102.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 CVE 113

$1.03 R 17.08

11.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.50 CVE 443

$3.01 R 49.98

49.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CVE 309

$3.66 R 60.8

-14.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 CVE 159

$1.39 R 23.08

15.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.21 CVE 218

$1.19 R 19.70

85.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.21 CVE 119

$2.11 R 35.02

-42.65%

Eggs

$2.98 CVE 293

$3.01 R 49.84

-1.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 CVE 936

$8.96 R 149

6.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.63 CVE 751

$6.65 R 110

14.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.54 CVE 1,628

$9.29 R 154

78.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 CVE 322

$1.83 R 30.28

78.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 CVE 238

$1.90 R 31.47

27.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 CVE 321

$1.75 R 28.98

86.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 CVE 396

$2.09 R 34.59

92.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 CVE 172

$1.55 R 25.78

12.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 CVE 186

$1.49 R 24.65

26.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 CVE 155

$1.30 R 21.53

20.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CVE 114

$1.16 R 19.29

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.54 CVE 447

$3.71 R 61.5

22.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 CVE 671

$6.06 R 101

12.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.01 CVE 395

$1.39 R 22.97

188.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 CVE 183

$2.20 R 36.51

-15.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 CVE 103

$1.51 R 25.11

-30.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,011

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.09 CVE 206

$0.63 R 10.38

231.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.17 CVE 312

$1.53 R 25.42

107.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 CVE 1,252

$4.81 R 79.8

164.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 CVE 132

$1.58 R 26.22

-15.19%

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

$35.5K R 588.7K

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

$31.7K R 526.6K

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

$62.3 CVE 6,132

$116 R 1,930

-46.46%

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

$28.37 R 471

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.3 CVE 4,945

$40.69 R 675

23.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.27 CVE 2,782

$48.85 R 810

-42.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 185

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$115 CVE 11.3K

$261 R 4,336

-56.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 111.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.89 CVE 3,040

$55.4 R 919

-44.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 535

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,949

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 CVE 14.2K

$107 R 1,775

34.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$260 CVE 25.6K

$1,015 R 16.8K

-74.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 CVE 17.0K

$715 R 11.9K

-75.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 CVE 29.9K

$1,801 R 29.9K

-83.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$208 CVE 20.5K

$1,330 R 22.1K

-84.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$672 CVE 66.1K

$2,331 R 38.7K

-71.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$341 CVE 33.5K

$1,513 R 25.1K

-77.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$254 CVE 25.0K

$1,636 R 27.1K

-84.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

10.97

-52.14%

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

Last update for Sal: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sal

$302 34.8%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 26.4% $80

Accommodation & Living

Sal

$172 19.9%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 315% $543

Eating Out

Sal

$151 17.4%

Cape Town

$174 11% 14.8% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sal

$113 * 13%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 64.7% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Sal

$79 * 9.1%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 78.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Sal

$28 * 3.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 135% $38

Getting Around

Sal

$22 * 2.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 240% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $260 in Sal 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 544% 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 $46.00 in Sal versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $302 in Sal vs $222 in Cape Town – so Cape Town wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇻 Sal

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

03:54 3:54 AM

3 h ahead of Sal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,288

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CVE = 10.16 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CVE – Cabo Verdean Escudo Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇻 Cabo Verdean Escudo ($)

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 98.4 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.06 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to CVE in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sal Cape Town 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sal
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

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

Cape Town costs about 83% more than Sal, 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 $1,286 per month in Sal 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 Sal, 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 $857 in Sal and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 83%.

Kindergarten costs $115 per month in Sal and $261 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sal, where all-in costs run around $857, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Sal 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. Sal costs $857 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sal. 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.