Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San José, Uruguay and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in San José: $918 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in San José
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San José Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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San José

🇺🇾 Uruguay

$918

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $918 per month in San José vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

San José $918
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,456 per month in San José vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

San José $1,456
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,995 per month in San José vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

San José $1,995
Cape Town $3,306

San José is about 40% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

San José sits 32% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.30 UYU 535

$12.01 R 198

10.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.40 UYU 1,786

$42.92 R 707

3.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.94 UYU 561

$6.15 R 101

126.67%

Cappuccino

$4.83 UYU 194

$2.37 R 39.04

103.80%

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

$2.28 UYU 91.9

$1.27 R 20.96

79.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 UYU 91.3

$0.94 R 15.46

141.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 UYU 119

$2.96 R 48.77

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.61 UYU 145

$3.69 R 60.8

-2.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 UYU 40.19

$1.32 R 21.73

-24.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.01 UYU 80.8

$1.21 R 19.87

66.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 UYU 58.6

$2.20 R 36.26

-33.64%

Eggs

$2.57 UYU 103

$3.10 R 51.1

-17.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.91 UYU 479

$8.73 R 144

36.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.35 UYU 296

$6.89 R 114

6.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.68 UYU 470

$9.26 R 153

26.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 UYU 48.70

$1.83 R 30.08

-33.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 UYU 60.5

$1.95 R 32.12

-22.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 UYU 49.38

$1.66 R 27.32

-25.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 UYU 61.4

$2.14 R 35.19

-28.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 UYU 39.14

$1.58 R 26.01

-38.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 UYU 49.35

$1.47 R 24.29

-16.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 UYU 62.9

$1.35 R 22.18

15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 UYU 79.2

$1.14 R 18.85

72.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.18 UYU 409

$3.58 R 59.0

184.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.31 UYU 334

$6.05 R 99.7

37.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.03 UYU 122

$1.39 R 22.95

117.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 UYU 130

$2.18 R 35.90

48.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 R 23.02

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 UYU 142

$0.93 R 15.26

280.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 UYU 138

$0.90 R 14.83

281.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.87 UYU 397

$4.96 R 81.7

98.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 UYU 89.4

$1.54 R 25.37

44.16%

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

$35.4K UYU 1.4M

$35.4K R 582.8K

0.13%

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

$39.7K UYU 1.6M

$33.4K R 549.9K

18.82%

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

$115 UYU 4,628

$117 R 1,929

-1.71%

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

$23.51 UYU 946

$25.71 R 424

-8.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.19 UYU 1,898

$39.41 R 649

19.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.6 R 850

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 187

Cinema Ticket

$12.41 UYU 499

$8.89 R 146

39.60%

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

$498 UYU 20.0K

$308 R 5,069

61.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,594 UYU 265.2K

$8,141 R 134.2K

-19.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.3 UYU 3,591

$57.4 R 946

55.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.39 UYU 1,504

$31.75 R 523

17.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$165 UYU 6,631

$116 R 1,911

42.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 UYU 4,821

$101 R 1,660

19.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 R 17.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$669 R 11.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,861 R 30.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 R 23.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

-54.09%

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

Last update for San José: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

San José

$255 27.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 12.4% $32

Eating Out

San José

$246 26.9%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 29.4% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San José

$186 20.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 1.9% $3.6

Clothing & Footwear

San José

$185 20.2%

Cape Town

$138 9% 25.7% $48

Sport & Entertainment

San José

$25 * 2.7%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 180% $45

Getting Around

San José

$21 * 2.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 247% $51

Accommodation & Living

San José

- * 0%

Cape Town

$669 43.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44 in San José versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇾 San José

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

22:37 10:37 PM

5 h ahead of San José

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,747

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Uruguayan Peso UYU $U

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 UYU = 2.49 USD

100 UYU = 2.22 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to UYU – Uruguayan Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇾 Uruguayan Peso ($U)

Uruguayan Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 40.22 UYU (100 UYU = 2.49 USD). 1 EUR = 44.95 UYU (100 UYU = 2.22 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.42 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.43 EUR).

USD to UYU in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San José Cape Town 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

San José
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

San José vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 66% more than San José, 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 $1,376 per month in San José and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $918 in San José and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes San José about 40% cheaper.

Interestingly, groceries are about 12% cheaper in Cape Town – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $918 in San José and $1,527 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 $918 in San José to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.