Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Cape Verde

Name: Cape Verde
Address: CV

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Verde: $1,123 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $960 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in South Africa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Cape Verde
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Cape Verde Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$1,123

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Cape Verde

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in South Africa and in Cape Verde actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,203 per month in South Africa vs $1,123 in Cape Verde, rent included.

South Africa $1,203
Cape Verde $1,123

A couple spends around $1,893 per month in South Africa vs $1,700 in Cape Verde, rent included.

South Africa $1,893
Cape Verde $1,700

A family of three spends $2,583 per month in South Africa vs $2,276 in Cape Verde, rent included.

South Africa $2,583
Cape Verde $2,276

Cost ranges are similar: South Africa spans $618–$1,556, Cape Verde $387–$1,195. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in South Africa is about 7% higher than in Cape Verde on average.

Both South Africa and Cape Verde are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 12% lower, Cape Verde 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$5.46 CVE 540

95.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$53.4 CVE 5,280

-21.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$9.67 CVE 956

-40.02%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$2.42 CVE 239

-2.48%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$2.12 CVE 209

-47.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$1.19 CVE 117

-24.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$3.00 CVE 297

-19.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$1.97 CVE 195

55.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$1.39 CVE 137

-15.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$1.71 CVE 169

-33.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.85 CVE 183

-5.95%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$2.45 CVE 242

4.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$13.30 CVE 1,315

-36.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$8.68 CVE 858

-41.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$18.49 CVE 1,828

-58.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$3.13 CVE 310

-43.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$2.64 CVE 261

-34.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$2.95 CVE 292

-40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$3.84 CVE 380

-54.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.49 CVE 147

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$1.74 CVE 172

-15.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$1.25 CVE 124

-1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$1.22 CVE 121

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$4.97 CVE 492

-34.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$8.00 CVE 791

-37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$2.06 CVE 204

-27.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$1.79 CVE 177

8.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.89 CVE 87.7

66.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$30.02 CVE 2,969

97.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$1.98 CVE 196

-44.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$2.56 CVE 253

-61.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$15.49 CVE 1,532

-51.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.51 CVE 149

-5.30%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$29.4K CVE 2.9M

20.19%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$38.7K CVE 3.8M

-16.22%

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

$133 R 2,208

$148 CVE 14.6K

-10.10%

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

$34.83 R 580

$16.86 CVE 1,667

106.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$52.8 CVE 5,222

-24.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$29.34 CVE 2,901

12.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$7.86 CVE 778

48.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$5.57 CVE 550

28.90%

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

$224 R 3,728

$147 CVE 14.5K

52.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$3,055 CVE 302.1K

78.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$51.0 CVE 5,045

6.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$25.45 CVE 2,517

34.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$64.7 CVE 6,399

57.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$137 CVE 13.5K

-35.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$419 CVE 41.4K

17.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$251 CVE 24.8K

58.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$577 CVE 57.1K

63.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$334 CVE 33.0K

147.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$1,099 CVE 108.6K

0.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$777 CVE 76.9K

-1.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$325 CVE 32.1K

362.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

7.33

53.21%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Cape Verde: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Cape Verde

$251 22.4% 36.9% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Cape Verde

$217 19.4% 4.8% $10

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Cape Verde

$307 27.3% 56.6% $111

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Cape Verde

$134 11.9% 14.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Cape Verde

$125 11.1% 0.4% $0.6

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Cape Verde

$48 4.3% 32.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Cape Verde

$40 3.6% 14.7% $7

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $422 in South Africa vs $412 in Cape Verde. For reference, capital cities sit at $450 in Pretoria and $570 in Praia.

Average salary: $1,488 in South Africa vs $275 in Cape Verde. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 18% more in Cape Verde.

Public transport is 103% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 5.4 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

09:24 9:24 AM

3 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

555,988

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.11 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, 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 = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 98.88 CVE (100 CVE = 1.01 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

South Africa Cape Verde 7,240 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Cape Verde

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

South Africa vs Cape Verde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Verde is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 7% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, South Africa costs about 7% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in South Africa. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

Cape Verde is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.