Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Slough and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $3,052 in Slough, rent and utilities included – about $17,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

149

Cost of Living Index in Slough
Learn more

Slough Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Slough

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,052

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,052 per month in Slough vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Slough $3,052
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $4,541 per month in Slough vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Slough $4,541
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $6,030 per month in Slough vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Slough $6,030
Cape Town $3,263

Slough costs about 92% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Slough and Cape Town sit above the global median – Slough by 126%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.39 £18.30

$12.14 R 200

100.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.8 £68.1

$45.34 R 747

100.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 £7.86

$5.88 R 96.9

78.23%

Cappuccino

$4.83 £3.62

$2.50 R 41.18

93.20%

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

$2.80 £2.10

$1.27 R 20.94

120.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 £1.73

$0.98 R 16.14

134.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.79 £6.60

$2.99 R 49.33

193.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 £5.20

$3.72 R 61.4

86.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.30 R 21.40

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 £1.26

$1.25 R 20.68

34.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 £2.18

$2.23 R 36.76

30.04%

Eggs

$3.67 £2.75

$3.11 R 51.2

18.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.45 £10.84

$9.06 R 149

59.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.21 £6.16

$6.92 R 114

18.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 £10.77

$9.30 R 153

54.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 £2.51

$1.84 R 30.25

82.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 £1.27

$1.96 R 32.29

-13.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.06 £2.29

$1.67 R 27.45

83.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.64

$2.17 R 35.70

62.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 £1.30

$1.57 R 25.81

10.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.40 £1.05

$1.48 R 24.45

-5.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 £0.77

$1.30 R 21.41

-20.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.13 R 18.60

34.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.71 £17.78

$3.60 R 59.3

558.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 £8.39

$6.15 R 101

81.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 £2.56

$1.38 R 22.66

147.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.42 £2.57

$2.14 R 35.20

59.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.17 £3.88

$1.50 R 24.65

244.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$250 £187

$60.8 R 1,001

311.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.82 £4.37

$0.59 R 9.71

886.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 £2.36

$1.50 R 24.65

109.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.32 £30.25

$5.11 R 84.2

689.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 £1.50

$1.55 R 25.50

29.03%

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

$37.5K £28.1K

$36.2K R 596.5K

3.62%

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

$40.8K £30.6K

$31.2K R 514.8K

30.57%

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

$353 £265

$114 R 1,883

208.86%

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

$20.99 £15.75

$28.91 R 476

-27.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.39 £32.55

$39.73 R 654

9.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.96 £30.73

$49.01 R 808

-16.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.51 £6.38

$10.99 R 181

-22.57%

Cinema Ticket

$14.33 £10.75

$9.15 R 151

56.61%

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

$1,797 £1,348

$259 R 4,264

594.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K £11.7K

$6,794 R 111.9K

128.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.0 £56.2

$56.2 R 926

33.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.6 £50.7

$32.41 R 534

108.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 £86.5

$121 R 1,987

-4.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 £79.0

$108 R 1,781

-2.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,508 £1,131

$1,021 R 16.8K

47.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 £1,070

$717 R 11.8K

98.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,102 £2,327

$1,824 R 30.1K

70.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,564 £1,924

$1,327 R 21.9K

93.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$26.8K £20.1K

$2,391 R 39.4K

1022.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$19.7K £14.8K

$1,542 R 25.4K

1177.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,321 £2,492

$1,639 R 27.0K

102.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.91

10.97

-55.24%

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

Last update for Slough: October 11, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Slough

$1.4K 46.7%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 49.7% $709

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Slough

$417 13.7%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 56.2% $235

Eating Out

Slough

$363 11.9%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 51.4% $187

Groceries & Markets

Slough

$321 10.5%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 29.9% $96

Getting Around

Slough

$292 9.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 74.4% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Slough

$163 5.4%

Cape Town

$143 9% 12.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Slough

$70 2.3%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 3.3% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,508 in Slough versus $1,021 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 103% higher in Slough, 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 $91.0 in Slough versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $321 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Slough

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:28 3:28 PM

16:28 4:28 PM

1 h ahead of Slough

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,455

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Slough Cape Town 9,680 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Slough
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

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

Slough costs about 92% more than Cape Town, 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 $4,578 per month in Slough and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cape Town, 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 $3,052 in Slough and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 92%.

Public transport costs about 311% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Slough at $3,052. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Slough it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $3,052 in Slough. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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