Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Southampton and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,681 in Southampton, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Southampton
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Southampton Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Southampton

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,681

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,681 per month in Southampton vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Southampton $2,681
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $3,835 per month in Southampton vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Southampton $3,835
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $4,989 per month in Southampton vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Southampton $4,989
Cape Town $3,307

Southampton costs about 71% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Southampton and Cape Town sit above the global median – Southampton by 100%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.05 £19.68

$11.78 R 194

121.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 £68.5

$46.55 R 768

94.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.35 £8.57

$5.96 R 98.4

90.44%

Cappuccino

$5.14 £3.89

$2.47 R 40.80

108.10%

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

$2.97 £2.24

$1.33 R 21.91

123.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 £1.62

$1.03 R 16.99

107.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 £5.65

$3.01 R 49.72

148.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.53 £4.94

$3.66 R 60.4

78.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 £1.48

$1.39 R 22.96

41.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.73 £1.31

$1.19 R 19.60

45.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 £2.25

$2.11 R 34.84

41.23%

Eggs

$4.54 £3.43

$3.01 R 49.58

50.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 £7.47

$8.96 R 148

10.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 £7.12

$6.65 R 110

41.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 £10.78

$9.29 R 153

53.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 £2.26

$1.83 R 30.13

63.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 £1.32

$1.90 R 31.31

-7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 £2.18

$1.75 R 28.83

65.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.55 £2.68

$2.09 R 34.41

69.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 £1.34

$1.55 R 25.64

14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.14

$1.49 R 24.53

1.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.94

$1.30 R 21.41

-4.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.32

$1.16 R 19.19

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.37 £16.15

$3.71 R 61.2

476.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 £8.20

$6.06 R 100

79.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 £2.23

$1.39 R 22.85

112.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 £2.62

$2.20 R 36.32

57.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.13 £2.36

$1.51 R 24.98

107.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.2 £65.1

$61.0 R 1,006

41.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 £3.23

$0.63 R 10.33

577.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 £1.46

$1.53 R 25.29

26.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.36 £23.70

$4.81 R 79.4

551.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 £1.58

$1.58 R 26.08

32.28%

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

$37.7K £28.5K

$35.5K R 585.7K

6.28%

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

$40.2K £30.3K

$31.7K R 523.8K

26.47%

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

$325 £245

$116 R 1,920

179.09%

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

$29.44 £22.25

$28.37 R 468

3.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.9 £40.75

$40.69 R 671

32.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.02 £31.00

$48.85 R 806

-16.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.46 £12.44

$11.13 R 184

47.89%

Cinema Ticket

$15.69 £11.85

$8.83 R 146

77.69%

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

$1,560 £1,179

$261 R 4,314

496.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.8K £13.4K

$6,702 R 110.6K

165.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 £77.8

$55.4 R 914

85.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 £38.49

$32.27 R 532

57.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 £75.1

$118 R 1,939

-15.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 £101

$107 R 1,766

24.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,500 £1,133

$1,015 R 16.7K

47.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,192 £901

$715 R 11.8K

66.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,397 £1,811

$1,801 R 29.7K

33.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,859 £1,405

$1,330 R 22.0K

39.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,870 £4,436

$2,331 R 38.5K

151.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,381 £4,066

$1,513 R 25.0K

255.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,333 £2,519

$1,636 R 27.0K

103.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.96

10.97

-54.79%

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

Last update for Southampton: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Southampton

$1.2K 45%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 40% $477

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Southampton

$408 15.4%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 54.6% $223

Eating Out

Southampton

$375 14.1%

Cape Town

$174 11% 53.7% $201

Groceries & Markets

Southampton

$319 12%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 30.3% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Southampton

$174 6.6%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 19.2% $33

Getting Around

Southampton

$113 4.2%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 33.1% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Southampton

$72 2.7%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 8.1% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,500 in Southampton versus $1,015 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 104% higher in Southampton, 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 Southampton versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Southampton

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:37 6:37 AM

07:37 7:37 AM

1 h ahead of Southampton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

228,600

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Southampton Cape Town 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Southampton
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

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

Southampton costs about 71% more than Cape Town, 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 $4,021 per month in Southampton and $2,352 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 $2,681 in Southampton and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 71%.

Public transport costs about 41% 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 $1,568, than in Southampton at $2,681. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Southampton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $2,681 in Southampton. 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, Southampton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.