Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staefa and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,402 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,402

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,402 per month in Staefa vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Staefa $3,402
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $5,480 per month in Staefa vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Staefa $5,480
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $7,558 per month in Staefa vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Staefa $7,558
Cape Town $3,306

Staefa costs about 123% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Staefa and Cape Town sit above the global median – Staefa by 152%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$33.35 CHF 27.28

$12.01 R 197

177.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 CHF 101

$42.92 R 703

187.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.32 CHF 13.35

$6.15 R 101

165.37%

Cappuccino

$6.22 CHF 5.09

$2.37 R 38.81

162.45%

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

$5.89 CHF 4.82

$1.27 R 20.84

363.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.17 CHF 4.23

$0.94 R 15.37

450.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.68 CHF 7.10

$2.96 R 48.48

193.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.54 CHF 6.98

$3.69 R 60.5

131.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CHF 1.78

$1.32 R 21.61

64.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 CHF 2.86

$1.21 R 19.75

188.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 CHF 3.13

$2.20 R 36.05

74.09%

Eggs

$8.50 CHF 6.95

$3.10 R 50.8

174.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.34 CHF 21.55

$8.73 R 143

201.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.66 CHF 21.80

$6.89 R 113

286.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$55.2 CHF 45.16

$9.26 R 152

496.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.52 CHF 2.88

$1.83 R 29.90

92.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.78 CHF 2.27

$1.95 R 31.94

42.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.48 CHF 2.85

$1.66 R 27.16

109.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.73 CHF 3.87

$2.14 R 34.99

121.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.62 CHF 2.14

$1.58 R 25.86

65.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.27 CHF 1.86

$1.47 R 24.15

54.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 CHF 1.99

$1.35 R 22.05

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 CHF 1.08

$1.14 R 18.75

15.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.09 CHF 9.07

$3.58 R 58.6

209.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.14 CHF 11.56

$6.05 R 99.2

133.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 CHF 2.25

$1.39 R 22.82

98.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 CHF 2.64

$2.18 R 35.69

47.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.57 CHF 3.74

$1.40 R 22.88

226.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$99.1 CHF 81.0

$60.8 R 995

63.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 CHF 6.65

$0.93 R 15.18

774.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.75 CHF 3.89

$0.90 R 14.75

427.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.4 CHF 72.3

$4.96 R 81.3

1681.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$1.54 R 25.23

52.60%

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

$40.2K CHF 32.9K

$35.4K R 579.4K

13.63%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.2K

$33.4K R 546.7K

17.92%

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

$239 CHF 196

$117 R 1,918

104.35%

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

$32.40 CHF 26.50

$25.71 R 421

26.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 CHF 45.76

$39.41 R 646

41.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.7 CHF 65.2

$51.6 R 846

54.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.63 CHF 39.78

$11.35 R 186

328.46%

Cinema Ticket

$24.73 CHF 20.22

$8.89 R 146

178.18%

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

$3,024 CHF 2,473

$308 R 5,040

883.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.9K CHF 30.2K

$8,141 R 133.4K

353.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$140 CHF 114

$57.4 R 940

143.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.0 CHF 45.79

$31.75 R 520

76.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$149 CHF 122

$116 R 1,900

28.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 CHF 140

$101 R 1,650

69.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,988 CHF 1,626

$1,047 R 17.1K

89.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,426 CHF 1,167

$669 R 11.0K

113.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,860 CHF 2,339

$1,861 R 30.5K

53.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,909 CHF 2,379

$1,407 R 23.1K

106.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.0K CHF 13.9K

$2,410 R 39.5K

605.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K CHF 9,732

$1,570 R 25.7K

658.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

10.89

-84.21%

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

Last update for Staefa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staefa

$1.4K 41.9%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 53.1% $757

Groceries & Markets

Staefa

$642 18.9%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 65.2% $419

Eating Out

Staefa

$495 14.6%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 64.9% $321

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staefa

$328 9.6%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 44.4% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Staefa

$232 6.8%

Cape Town

$138 9% 40.7% $94

Getting Around

Staefa

$149 4.4%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 51.9% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Staefa

$129 3.8%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 46.3% $60

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,988 in Staefa versus $1,047 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 $123 in Staefa versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $642 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Staefa

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

22:46 10:46 PM

23:46 11:46 PM

1 h ahead of Staefa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,567

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.22 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.1 USD

100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.818 CHF (1 CHF = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 0.918 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 16.38 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.1 USD). 1 EUR = 18.39 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.44 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Staefa Cape Town 9,080 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Staefa
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

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

Staefa costs about 123% 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 $5,102 per month in Staefa and $2,291 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,988 in Staefa.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,402 in Staefa and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 55% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 39% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,402 in Staefa and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Cape Town is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 55% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.