Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Rafael: $1,353 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Cape Town outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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San Rafael

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,353

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,353 per month in San Rafael vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Rafael $1,353
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $2,224 per month in San Rafael vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Rafael $2,224
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $3,096 per month in San Rafael vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

San Rafael $3,096
Cape Town $3,306

San Rafael is about 11% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.01 ARS 17.0K

$12.01 R 199

-8.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 ARS 78.7K

$42.92 R 709

18.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.49 ARS 22.4K

$6.15 R 102

135.61%

Cappuccino

$4.44 ARS 6,855

$2.37 R 39.16

87.34%

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

$2.43 ARS 3,759

$1.27 R 21.03

91.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ARS 2,931

$0.94 R 15.50

102.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 ARS 6,014

$2.96 R 48.92

31.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 ARS 6,766

$3.69 R 61.0

18.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ARS 2,147

$1.32 R 21.80

5.30%

White Bread (500g)

$2.19 ARS 3,375

$1.21 R 19.93

80.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 ARS 4,295

$2.20 R 36.37

26.36%

Eggs

$3.19 ARS 4,920

$3.10 R 51.3

2.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.27 ARS 22.0K

$8.73 R 144

63.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 ARS 9,443

$6.89 R 114

-11.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.04 ARS 17.1K

$9.26 R 153

19.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 ARS 3,638

$1.83 R 30.17

28.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 ARS 3,446

$1.95 R 32.22

14.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ARS 2,108

$1.66 R 27.40

-17.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.33 ARS 5,148

$2.14 R 35.30

55.61%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 ARS 3,128

$1.58 R 26.09

28.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.52 ARS 2,351

$1.47 R 24.37

3.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.00 ARS 3,091

$1.35 R 22.25

48.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 ARS 3,966

$1.14 R 18.91

125.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.68 ARS 4,136

$3.58 R 59.1

-25.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.07 ARS 7,835

$6.05 R 100

-16.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 ARS 2,784

$1.39 R 23.02

29.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ARS 4,738

$2.18 R 36.01

40.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ARS 1,508

$1.40 R 23.09

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,004

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ARS 3,104

$0.93 R 15.31

116.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ARS 1,583

$0.90 R 14.88

14.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 ARS 7,607

$4.96 R 82.0

-0.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ARS 1,879

$1.54 R 25.45

-20.78%

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

$27.4K ARS 42.2M

$35.4K R 584.6K

-22.65%

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

$32.4K ARS 50.0M

$33.4K R 551.6K

-3.01%

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

$146 ARS 225.9K

$117 R 1,935

24.93%

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

$17.25 ARS 26.6K

$25.71 R 425

-32.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.80 ARS 36.8K

$39.41 R 651

-39.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.51 ARS 48.7K

$51.6 R 853

-38.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.04 ARS 32.5K

$11.35 R 188

85.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.25 ARS 11.2K

$8.89 R 147

-18.45%

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

$174 ARS 268.7K

$308 R 5,085

-43.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,125 ARS 6.4M

$8,141 R 134.6K

-49.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$125 ARS 193.2K

$57.4 R 948

118.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$142 ARS 219.8K

$31.75 R 525

348.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 ARS 218.5K

$116 R 1,917

21.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$158 ARS 243.7K

$101 R 1,665

56.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$511 ARS 788.5K

$1,047 R 17.3K

-51.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ARS 519.7K

$669 R 11.1K

-49.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,049 ARS 1.6M

$1,861 R 30.8K

-43.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 ARS 1.3M

$1,407 R 23.3K

-41.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 R 39.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,272 ARS 2.0M

$1,570 R 25.9K

-18.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.89

441.78%

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

Last update for San Rafael: 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 Rafael

$336 24.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 98.9% $333

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$287 21.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 22.1% $63

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$255 18.9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 46% $117

Eating Out

San Rafael

$230 17%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 24.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$187 13.9%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 2.7% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$46 3.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 50.8% $23

Getting Around

San Rafael

$11 * 0.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 550% $61

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $511 in San Rafael 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in San Rafael versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇷 San Rafael

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

14:59 2:59 PM

5 h ahead of San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,850

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.47 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.05 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 = 1,735 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.76 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.53 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.05 USD). 1 EUR = 18.56 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

San Rafael Cape Town 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Cape Town costs about 13% more than San Rafael, 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 $2,029 per month in San Rafael 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 Rafael, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $511 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,353 in San Rafael and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes San Rafael about 11% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $174 per month in San Rafael and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,353 in San Rafael 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 Rafael – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.