Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan, Argentina and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $897 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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San Juan

🇦🇷 Argentina

$897

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $897 per month in San Juan vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Juan $897
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,400 per month in San Juan vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Juan $1,400
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in San Juan vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Juan $1,903
Cape Town $3,306

San Juan is about 41% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

San Juan sits 34% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.14 ARS 11.0K

$12.01 R 199

-40.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.57 ARS 61.1K

$42.92 R 709

-7.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.27 ARS 18.9K

$6.15 R 102

99.51%

Cappuccino

$2.53 ARS 3,905

$2.37 R 39.16

6.75%

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

$2.08 ARS 3,218

$1.27 R 21.03

63.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ARS 2,729

$0.94 R 15.50

88.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.03 ARS 6,220

$2.96 R 48.92

36.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 7,111

$3.69 R 61.0

24.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ARS 2,078

$1.32 R 21.80

2.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ARS 2,215

$1.21 R 19.93

18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ARS 2,212

$2.20 R 36.37

-35.00%

Eggs

$1.38 ARS 2,131

$3.10 R 51.3

-55.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.78 ARS 4,287

$8.73 R 144

-68.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.07 ARS 9,374

$6.89 R 114

-11.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.99 ARS 17.0K

$9.26 R 153

18.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.43 ARS 2,212

$1.83 R 30.17

-21.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ARS 2,217

$1.95 R 32.22

-26.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ARS 2,082

$1.66 R 27.40

-18.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.46 ARS 2,249

$2.14 R 35.30

-31.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ARS 2,251

$1.58 R 26.09

-7.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 ARS 2,159

$1.47 R 24.37

-4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 ARS 2,150

$1.35 R 22.25

2.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 ARS 2,144

$1.14 R 18.91

21.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 ARS 4,142

$3.58 R 59.1

-25.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.95 ARS 7,649

$6.05 R 100

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 ARS 2,151

$1.39 R 23.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ARS 2,256

$2.18 R 36.01

-33.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 ARS 1,599

$1.40 R 23.09

-25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.05 ARS 3,171

$0.93 R 15.31

120.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 ARS 1,528

$0.90 R 14.88

10.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.79 ARS 7,393

$4.96 R 82.0

-3.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ARS 1,730

$1.54 R 25.45

-27.27%

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

$27.5K ARS 42.4M

$35.4K R 584.6K

-22.34%

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

$33.5K ARS 51.8M

$33.4K R 551.6K

0.44%

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

$144 ARS 222.3K

$117 R 1,935

22.95%

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

$9.81 ARS 15.2K

$25.71 R 425

-61.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.69 ARS 27.3K

$39.41 R 651

-55.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.49 ARS 47.1K

$51.6 R 853

-40.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.35 R 188

Cinema Ticket

$7.21 ARS 11.1K

$8.89 R 147

-18.90%

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

$175 ARS 270.5K

$308 R 5,085

-43.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,103 ARS 6.3M

$8,141 R 134.6K

-49.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 ARS 167.8K

$57.4 R 948

89.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.06 ARS 66.5K

$31.75 R 525

35.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ARS 89.2K

$116 R 1,917

-50.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.56 ARS 54.9K

$101 R 1,665

-64.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$253 ARS 390.5K

$1,047 R 17.3K

-75.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 ARS 311.7K

$669 R 11.1K

-69.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 ARS 767.1K

$1,861 R 30.8K

-73.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 ARS 627.8K

$1,407 R 23.3K

-71.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,570 R 25.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$691 ARS 1.1M

$1,630 R 26.9K

-57.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

395.87%

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

Last update for San Juan: November 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$202 22.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 232% $467

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$188 21%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 18.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$171 19.1%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 6.3% $11

Eating Out

San Juan

$169 18.8%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 3% $5

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$110 12.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 24.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$45 5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 54.5% $24

Getting Around

San Juan

$11 * 1.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 544% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $253 in San Juan versus $1,047 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 in Cape Town are about 2.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in San Juan versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $223 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Juan

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

5 h ahead of San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

522,029

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,544 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD). 1 EUR = 1,726 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.79 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.47 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Cape Town 7,870 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Cape Town costs about 70% more than San Juan, 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 $1,345 per month in San Juan and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in San Juan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $897 in San Juan and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes San Juan about 41% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $175 per month in San Juan and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $897 in San Juan and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward San Juan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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