Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Joao da Boa Vista and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista: $725 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Boa Vista
Learn more

Sao Joao da Boa Vista Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$725

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $725 per month in Sao Joao da Boa Vista vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $725
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,205 per month in Sao Joao da Boa Vista vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,205
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $1,686 per month in Sao Joao da Boa Vista vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,686
Cape Town $3,306

Sao Joao da Boa Vista is about 53% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista sits 46% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.18 R$28.40

$12.01 R 198

-56.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.38 R$117

$42.92 R 707

-50.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.35 R$45.83

$6.15 R 101

35.77%

Cappuccino

$1.84 R$10.08

$2.37 R 39.04

-22.36%

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

$1.13 R$6.22

$1.27 R 20.96

-11.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.73

$0.94 R 15.46

-8.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 R$10.44

$2.96 R 48.77

-35.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R$10.38

$3.69 R 60.8

-48.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.44

$1.32 R 21.73

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 R$8.36

$1.21 R 19.87

25.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 R$4.91

$2.20 R 36.26

-59.55%

Eggs

$2.18 R$11.95

$3.10 R 51.1

-29.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 R$44.95

$8.73 R 144

-6.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.14 R$22.73

$6.89 R 114

-39.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.41 R$51.7

$9.26 R 153

1.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 R$10.14

$1.83 R 30.08

1.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.97

$1.95 R 32.12

-44.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 R$5.23

$1.66 R 27.32

-42.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.38

$2.14 R 35.19

-28.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.19

$1.58 R 26.01

-51.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 R$3.89

$1.47 R 24.29

-51.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 R$3.86

$1.35 R 22.18

-48.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$4.03

$1.14 R 18.85

-35.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.63 R$14.44

$3.58 R 59.0

-26.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 R$30.27

$6.05 R 99.7

-8.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.98

$1.39 R 22.95

-21.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 R$22.44

$2.18 R 35.90

87.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 R$4.52

$1.40 R 23.02

-41.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.30 R$227

$60.8 R 1,001

-32.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 R$6.86

$0.93 R 15.26

34.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 R$6.93

$0.90 R 14.83

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.69 R$47.66

$4.96 R 81.7

75.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 R$5.20

$1.54 R 25.37

-38.31%

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

$18.3K R$100.2K

$35.4K R 582.8K

-48.36%

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

$32.3K R$177.1K

$33.4K R 549.9K

-3.26%

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

$40.72 R$223

$117 R 1,929

-65.22%

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

$9.24 R$50.7

$25.71 R 424

-64.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.23 R$94.5

$39.41 R 649

-56.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.19 R$144

$51.6 R 850

-49.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.78 R$141

$11.35 R 187

127.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.18 R$28.42

$8.89 R 146

-41.73%

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

$407 R$2,234

$308 R 5,069

32.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,136 R$39.2K

$8,141 R 134.2K

-12.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 R$290

$57.4 R 946

-7.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.4 R$304

$31.75 R 523

74.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$49.20 R$270

$116 R 1,911

-57.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.5 R$310

$101 R 1,660

-43.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 R$1,838

$1,047 R 17.2K

-67.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 R$1,012

$669 R 11.0K

-72.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$631 R$3,465

$1,861 R 30.7K

-66.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 R$2,506

$1,407 R 23.2K

-67.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,551 R$8,509

$2,410 R 39.7K

-35.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,139 R$6,250

$1,570 R 25.9K

-27.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$628 R$3,447

$1,630 R 26.9K

-61.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

10.89

2.11%

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

Last update for Sao Joao da Boa Vista: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$185 25.5%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 263% $485

Groceries & Markets

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$178 24.6%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 25.3% $45

Eating Out

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$110 15.2%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 58.5% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$96 13.3%

Cape Town

$138 9% 43% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$67 9.3%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 171% $115

Getting Around

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$52 7.2%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 37.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$37 5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 89.8% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $335 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $178 vs $223 – making Sao Joao da Boa Vista the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

03:41 3:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

5 h ahead of Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,547

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Joao da Boa Vista Cape Town 6,440 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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

Sao Joao da Boa Vista vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 111% more than Sao Joao da Boa Vista, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,087 per month in Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $725 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Sao Joao da Boa Vista about 53% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Cape Town at $1,527. In Sao Joao da Boa Vista it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Cape Town has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $725 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista to $1,527 in Cape Town. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Sao Joao da Boa Vista. 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.