Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset West and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Somerset West: $1,160 a month against $1,556 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Somerset West
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Somerset West Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,556

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,160 per month in Somerset West vs $1,556 in Cape Town, rent included.

Somerset West $1,160
Cape Town $1,556

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Somerset West vs $2,432 in Cape Town, rent included.

Somerset West $1,888
Cape Town $2,432

A family of three spends $2,615 per month in Somerset West vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Somerset West $2,615
Cape Town $3,307

Somerset West is about 25% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Somerset West sits 15% below the global median, while Cape Town is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 R 204

$12.09 R 201

1.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.52 R 757

$44.34 R 738

2.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 R 90.5

$6.15 R 102

-11.54%

Cappuccino

$2.06 R 34.28

$2.36 R 39.24

-12.71%

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

$1.06 R 17.71

$1.26 R 21.03

-15.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.99

$1.00 R 16.56

-16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.85

$3.08 R 51.2

-16.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R 54.4

$3.70 R 61.5

-11.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.10

$1.34 R 22.38

-23.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.37

$1.19 R 19.86

-17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.65

$2.10 R 34.96

-0.95%

Eggs

$2.28 R 37.94

$3.05 R 50.7

-25.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 R 139

$8.73 R 145

-4.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 R 86.1

$6.97 R 116

-25.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 R 153

$9.39 R 156

-1.81%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.18

$1.89 R 31.39

-4.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.43

$1.88 R 31.27

0.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.95

$1.69 R 28.04

2.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.16

$2.04 R 34.02

-17.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.19

$1.57 R 26.08

-3.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.44

$1.48 R 24.61

3.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.38

$1.28 R 21.33

0.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R 17.77

$1.19 R 19.78

-10.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 R 56.4

$3.63 R 60.4

-6.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 R 98.0

$6.17 R 103

-4.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.70

$1.39 R 23.10

-2.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.12

$2.18 R 36.27

-19.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 R 18.44

$1.37 R 22.79

-18.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 R 1,005

$61.3 R 1,020

-1.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.79

$0.57 R 9.56

3.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.68

$1.48 R 24.58

4.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 R 82.2

$4.90 R 81.5

0.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 R 23.64

$1.58 R 26.25

-10.13%

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

$29.3K R 486.8K

$34.7K R 577.5K

-15.71%

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

$29.4K R 488.4K

$34.1K R 567.4K

-13.92%

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

$82.1 R 1,366

$117 R 1,945

-29.81%

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

$29.05 R 483

$28.35 R 472

2.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.47 R 673

$40.58 R 675

-0.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.16 R 735

$48.54 R 808

-9.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.43 R 174

$10.80 R 180

-3.43%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 R 121

$9.11 R 152

-20.09%

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

$251 R 4,168

$302 R 5,024

-17.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,596 R 59.8K

$6,720 R 111.8K

-46.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.99 R 516

$55.2 R 919

-43.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.32 R 521

$32.70 R 544

-4.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 R 1,187

$118 R 1,961

-39.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.3 R 937

$104 R 1,728

-45.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 R 10.7K

$1,041 R 17.3K

-38.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,084

$691 R 11.5K

-38.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 R 22.3K

$1,981 R 33.0K

-32.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 R 15.6K

$1,388 R 23.1K

-32.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,221 R 20.3K

$2,420 R 40.3K

-49.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$892 R 14.8K

$1,552 R 25.8K

-42.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 R 23.6K

$1,576 R 26.2K

-10.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.97

-7.75%

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

Last update for Somerset West: October 25, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Somerset West

$426 36.7%

Cape Town

$691 44.4% 62.3% $265

Groceries & Markets

Somerset West

$200 17.2%

Cape Town

$224 14.4% 12% $24

Eating Out

Somerset West

$166 14.3%

Cape Town

$175 11.3% 5.7% $9.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset West

$152 13.1%

Cape Town

$186 11.9% 22.6% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset West

$86 7.4%

Cape Town

$139 9% 63% $54

Getting Around

Somerset West

$73 6.3%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 2.1% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset West

$59 5.1%

Cape Town

$67 4.3% 13.7% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $643 in Somerset West versus $1,041 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 11% higher in Cape Town, 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 $46 in Somerset West versus $44 in Cape Town. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Somerset West vs $224 in Cape Town – so Somerset West wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

14:27 2:27 PM

Same time as Somerset West

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,166

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Somerset West Cape Town 43 km

From you

Somerset West
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

Somerset West vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 34% more than Somerset West, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,740 per month in Somerset West and $2,335 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Somerset West, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $643 there versus $1,041 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,160 in Somerset West and $1,556 in Cape Town. That’s a gap of about 34%.

Kindergarten costs $251 per month in Somerset West and $302 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,160 in Somerset West and $1,556 in Cape Town, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Somerset West – 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 Somerset West. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.