Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,568 a month against $2,024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,024

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,024 per month in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $2,024
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $3,089 per month in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $3,089
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $4,154 per month in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $4,154
Cape Town $3,307

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador costs about 29% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Cape Town sit above the global median – St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador by 51%, Cape Town by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 CA$24.66

$11.78 R 195

47.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$46.55 R 772

50.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 CA$16.70

$5.96 R 98.9

96.98%

Cappuccino

$4.07 CA$5.79

$2.47 R 41.01

64.78%

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

$2.58 CA$3.66

$1.33 R 22.03

93.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 CA$3.04

$1.03 R 17.08

107.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 CA$7.08

$3.01 R 49.98

65.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 CA$7.44

$3.66 R 60.8

42.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 CA$4.29

$1.39 R 23.08

117.27%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 CA$4.27

$1.19 R 19.70

152.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.90

$2.11 R 35.02

96.21%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.39

$3.01 R 49.84

25.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.27

$8.96 R 149

27.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.05 CA$18.56

$6.65 R 110

96.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.78 CA$16.76

$9.29 R 154

26.80%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 CA$6.71

$1.83 R 30.28

157.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.14

$1.90 R 31.47

53.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 CA$6.80

$1.75 R 28.98

173.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.17

$2.09 R 34.59

40.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.76

$1.55 R 25.78

70.32%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 CA$3.08

$1.49 R 24.65

45.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 CA$3.89

$1.30 R 21.53

110.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 CA$2.80

$1.16 R 19.29

69.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.42 CA$19.09

$3.71 R 61.5

261.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 CA$21.98

$6.06 R 101

154.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.09 CA$5.81

$1.39 R 22.97

194.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 CA$5.95

$2.20 R 36.51

90.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 CA$2.54

$1.51 R 25.11

17.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 CA$77.3

$61.0 R 1,011

-10.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.36

$0.63 R 10.38

387.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$1.53 R 25.42

15.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.99 CA$41.23

$4.81 R 79.8

502.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.58 R 26.22

-15.82%

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

$27.5K CA$39.1K

$35.5K R 588.7K

-22.51%

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

$21.5K CA$30.6K

$31.7K R 526.6K

-32.29%

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

$177 CA$252

$116 R 1,930

52.23%

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

$40.72 CA$57.9

$28.37 R 471

43.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.4 CA$107

$40.69 R 675

85.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.0 CA$93.8

$48.85 R 810

35.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.35 CA$26.10

$11.13 R 185

64.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.47 CA$14.89

$8.83 R 146

18.57%

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

$530 CA$754

$261 R 4,336

102.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,977 CA$14.2K

$6,702 R 111.2K

48.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 CA$92.9

$55.4 R 919

17.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.72 CA$70.7

$32.27 R 535

54.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 CA$111

$118 R 1,949

-33.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.3 CA$133

$107 R 1,775

-12.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 CA$1,387

$1,015 R 16.8K

-3.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 CA$1,124

$715 R 11.9K

10.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,541 CA$2,192

$1,801 R 29.9K

-14.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 CA$1,947

$1,330 R 22.1K

2.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,973 CA$2,807

$2,331 R 38.7K

-15.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,531 CA$2,177

$1,513 R 25.1K

1.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,734 CA$3,889

$1,636 R 27.1K

67.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

10.97

-58.34%

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

Last update for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: October 4, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$790 38.4%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 9.5% $75

Groceries & Markets

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$408 19.8%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 45.5% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$293 14.3%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 36.8% $108

Eating Out

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$277 13.5%

Cape Town

$174 11% 37.3% $103

Clothing & Footwear

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$129 6.3%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$87 4.2%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 23.5% $20

Getting Around

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$73 3.6%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 2.6% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $975 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 67% higher in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, 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 $70.0 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $408 vs $222 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:27 4:27 AM

08:57 8:57 AM

4 h 30 min ahead of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,525

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Cape Town 11,490 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador costs about 29% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,036 per month in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 $2,024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 12% 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 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador at $2,024. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,568 versus $2,024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. 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, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.