Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerset West and Macaé

For one person, living is cheaper in Macaé: $827 a month against $1,160 in Somerset West, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
Learn more

Macaé Living Index

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Somerset West

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,160

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$827

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Somerset West and in Macaé

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 Macaé actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,160 in Somerset West versus $827 in Macaé.

Somerset West $1,160
Macaé $827

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,888 in Somerset West versus $1,398 in Macaé.

Somerset West $1,888
Macaé $1,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,615 in Somerset West versus $1,969 in Macaé.

Somerset West $2,615
Macaé $1,969

Living in Somerset West is roughly 40% more expensive than in Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Somerset West 15% lower, Macaé 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.23 R 204

$5.32 R$28.44

129.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.52 R 759

$27.97 R$150

62.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.44 R 90.7

$6.78 R$36.26

-19.76%

Cappuccino

$2.06 R 34.34

$1.61 R$8.59

27.95%

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

$1.06 R 17.74

$1.29 R$6.90

-17.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 14.01

$0.54 R$2.88

55.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.58 R 42.91

$1.10 R$5.88

134.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 R 54.5

$2.65 R$14.19

23.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R 17.13

$0.87 R$4.63

18.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 R 16.39

$1.42 R$7.57

-30.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.70

$1.33 R$7.13

56.39%

Eggs

$2.28 R 38.00

$1.88 R$10.03

21.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 R 139

$8.17 R$43.69

2.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 R 86.3

$3.19 R$17.06

62.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.22 R 154

$8.60 R$45.99

7.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.23

$1.75 R$9.37

3.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 R 31.47

$1.08 R$5.75

75.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.00

$0.86 R$4.60

102.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.20

$1.13 R$6.07

49.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 R 25.23

$0.64 R$3.42

135.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 R 25.48

$0.76 R$4.05

101.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.42

$0.52 R$2.80

148.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 R 17.80

$0.49 R$2.62

118.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 R 56.5

$1.52 R$8.11

123.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.89 R 98.1

$5.67 R$30.32

3.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 R 22.73

$0.95 R$5.05

43.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 R 29.17

$1.17 R$6.27

49.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 R 18.47

$1.51 R$8.06

-26.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.4 R 1,007

$78.0 R$417

-22.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.81

$1.27 R$6.77

-53.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 R 25.72

$0.70 R$3.72

120.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.94 R 82.4

$7.42 R$39.66

-33.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 R 23.68

$1.22 R$6.51

16.39%

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

$29.3K R 487.5K

$19.6K R$104.7K

49.39%

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

$29.4K R 489.1K

$28.6K R$152.7K

2.79%

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

$82.1 R 1,368

$93.8 R$501

-12.47%

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

$29.05 R 484

$9.06 R$48.44

220.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.47 R 674

$17.60 R$94.1

129.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.16 R 736

$37.72 R$202

17.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.43 R 174

$32.29 R$173

-67.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 R 121

$6.19 R$33.08

17.61%

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

$251 R 4,175

$603 R$3,226

-58.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,596 R 59.9K

$6,673 R$35.7K

-46.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.99 R 516

$58.3 R$312

-46.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.32 R 522

$29.91 R$160

4.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 R 1,189

$62.6 R$335

13.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.3 R 939

$43.83 R$234

28.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$643 R 10.7K

$346 R$1,847

85.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 R 7,095

$224 R$1,197

90.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 R 22.3K

$851 R$4,550

57.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$937 R 15.6K

$631 R$3,371

48.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,221 R 20.3K

$1,164 R$6,222

4.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$892 R 14.9K

$752 R$4,023

18.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,418 R 23.6K

$742 R$3,966

91.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.12

10.67

-5.15%

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

Last update for Somerset West: October 25, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Somerset West

$426 36.7%

Macaé

$224 27.1% 47.4% $202

Groceries & Markets

Somerset West

$200 17.2%

Macaé

$156 18.9% 21.8% $44

Eating Out

Somerset West

$166 14.3%

Macaé

$100 12.1% 39.6% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerset West

$152 13.1%

Macaé

$120 14.6% 20.6% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Somerset West

$86 7.4%

Macaé

$88 10.6% 2.4% $2.1

Getting Around

Somerset West

$73 6.3%

Macaé

$89 10.7% 21.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Somerset West

$59 5.1%

Macaé

$50 6.1% 14.7% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $643 in Somerset West and $346 in Macaé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Somerset West pays 91% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Somerset West vs $28 in Macaé for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $200 vs $156 per month, with Macaé cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Somerset West

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

18:52 6:52 PM

13:52 1:52 PM

5 h behind Somerset West

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

55,166

246,391

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Somerset West Macaé 6,020 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerset West
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Somerset West and Macaé differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,160 vs $827 including rent). Macaé is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 91% higher in Somerset West, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $643 in Somerset West versus $346 in Macaé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Macaé – a meal for two runs $28 versus $46 in Somerset West. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,160 per month in Somerset West versus $827 in Macaé – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Macaé wins on affordability, Somerset West on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.