Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St Francis Bay and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in St Francis Bay: $1,022 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in St Francis Bay
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St Francis Bay Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,022

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,022 per month in St Francis Bay vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

St Francis Bay $1,022
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,650 per month in St Francis Bay vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

St Francis Bay $1,650
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,278 per month in St Francis Bay vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

St Francis Bay $2,278
Cape Town $3,263

St Francis Bay is about 36% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

St Francis Bay sits 24% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.85 R 179

$12.14 R 200

-10.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.05 R 693

$45.34 R 747

-7.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.65 R 60.2

$5.88 R 96.9

-37.93%

Cappuccino

$2.14 R 35.18

$2.50 R 41.18

-14.40%

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

$1.02 R 16.76

$1.27 R 20.94

-19.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R 11.98

$0.98 R 16.14

-25.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 R 35.13

$2.99 R 49.33

-28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 R 30.36

$3.72 R 61.4

-50.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.86 R 14.25

$1.30 R 21.40

-33.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.58

$1.25 R 20.68

-19.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 R 23.56

$2.23 R 36.76

-35.87%

Eggs

$2.66 R 43.89

$3.11 R 51.2

-14.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.39 R 122

$9.06 R 149

-18.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 R 87.9

$6.92 R 114

-22.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.26 R 136

$9.30 R 153

-11.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 R 34.25

$1.84 R 30.25

13.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.04

$1.96 R 32.29

-25.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.59

$1.67 R 27.45

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.48

$2.17 R 35.70

-17.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 R 27.26

$1.57 R 25.81

5.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 R 22.70

$1.48 R 24.45

-6.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.22 R 20.15

$1.30 R 21.41

-6.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.17

$1.13 R 18.60

-13.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 R 52.4

$3.60 R 59.3

-11.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.80 R 79.1

$6.15 R 101

-21.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 R 20.73

$1.38 R 22.66

-8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 R 28.44

$2.14 R 35.20

-19.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.34

$1.50 R 24.65

-1.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.57 R 9.45

$0.59 R 9.71

-3.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 R 8.13

$1.50 R 24.65

-67.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.19 R 135

$5.11 R 84.2

60.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 R 22.46

$1.55 R 25.50

-12.26%

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

$20.3K R 334.8K

$36.2K R 596.5K

-43.88%

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

$33.7K R 554.7K

$31.2K R 514.8K

7.74%

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

$60.0 R 988

$114 R 1,883

-47.53%

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

$34.08 R 562

$28.91 R 476

17.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.40 R 682

$39.73 R 654

4.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.46 R 518

$49.01 R 808

-35.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.79 R 178

$10.99 R 181

-1.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 R 149

$9.15 R 151

-1.20%

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

$180 R 2,961

$259 R 4,264

-30.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,149 R 101.3K

$6,794 R 111.9K

-9.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.5 R 1,178

$56.2 R 926

27.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.62 R 620

$32.41 R 534

16.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,812

$121 R 1,987

-8.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.9 R 1,613

$108 R 1,781

-9.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,561

$1,021 R 16.8K

-60.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 R 5,823

$717 R 11.8K

-50.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 R 11.8K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-60.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$715 R 11.8K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-46.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$870 R 14.3K

$2,391 R 39.4K

-63.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$665 R 11.0K

$1,542 R 25.4K

-56.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

10.97

8.84%

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

Last update for St Francis Bay: 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

St Francis Bay

$353 34.6%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 103% $363

Groceries & Markets

St Francis Bay

$187 18.3%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 20.1% $38

Eating Out

St Francis Bay

$145 14.2%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 21.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

St Francis Bay

$143 14%

Cape Town

$143 9% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St Francis Bay

$135 13.3%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 35.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

St Francis Bay

$50 4.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 35.9% $18

Getting Around

St Francis Bay

$9 * 0.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 736% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $398 in St Francis Bay 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in St Francis Bay versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $187 vs $225 – making St Francis Bay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 St Francis Bay

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

06:32 6:32 AM

Same time as St Francis Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,910

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St Francis Bay Cape Town 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

St Francis Bay
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

St Francis Bay vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 55% more than St Francis Bay, 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 $1,533 per month in St Francis Bay 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 St Francis Bay, 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 $1,022 in St Francis Bay and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 55%.

Kindergarten costs $180 per month in St Francis Bay and $259 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in St Francis Bay, where all-in costs run around $1,022, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In St Francis Bay it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. St Francis Bay costs $1,022 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with St Francis Bay. 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.