Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Cape Town Cost of Living Comparison Between Sterling and Cape Town

😐 Solo nomad: Sterling is 85.8% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 105.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sterling is 67.6% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 87.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.96 $19.96
$11.12 R 183
79.50%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.4 $84.4
$44.86 R 739
88.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.02 $13.02
$5.00 R 82.4
160.40%
Cappuccino
$5.47 $5.47
$2.05 R 33.83
166.83%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 $2.74
$1.12 R 18.44
144.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 $2.28
$0.81 R 13.36
181.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.06 $6.06
$2.85 R 47.00
112.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.59 $7.59
$2.58 R 42.44
194.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.89 $0.89
$1.15 R 19.01
-22.61%
White Bread (500g)
$3.46 $3.46
$1.04 R 17.17
232.69%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.85 R 30.42
19.46%
Eggs
$5.03 $5.03
$2.43 R 39.98
107.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.30 $19.30
$8.49 R 140
127.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.92 $11.92
$5.17 R 85.2
130.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.18 $18.18
$7.49 R 123
142.72%
Apples (1kg)
$4.74 $4.74
$1.51 R 24.96
213.91%
Banana (1kg)
$1.28 $1.28
$1.44 R 23.73
-11.11%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.08 $7.08
$1.45 R 23.91
388.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.65 $6.65
$1.58 R 26.03
320.89%
Potato (1kg)
$3.47 $3.47
$1.12 R 18.38
209.82%
Onion (1kg)
$2.70 $2.70
$1.23 R 20.20
119.51%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.20 $2.20
$1.08 R 17.88
103.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$1.00 R 16.46
150.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.15 $9.15
$3.10 R 51.1
195.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.76 $13.76
$6.46 R 107
113.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.70 $1.70
$1.39 R 22.94
22.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.88 $4.88
$1.74 R 28.60
180.46%
🚌 Getting Around
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.02 $2.02
$0.93 R 15.36
117.20%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$47.00 R 775
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.58 $4.58
$1.43 R 23.49
220.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 $1.35
$0.98 R 16.21
37.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.75 $28.75
$4.35 R 71.7
560.92%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.88 $0.88
$1.25 R 20.60
-29.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K $26.8K
$21.5K R 354.7K
24.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K $24.6K
$24.0K R 395.3K
2.56%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$212 $212
$101 R 1,658
110.89%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.2 $52.2
$32.78 R 540
59.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$74.4 $74.4
$41.87 R 690
77.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.45 $28.45
$41.03 R 676
-30.66%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$8.21 R 135
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.89 $14.89
$6.91 R 114
115.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,774 $1,774
$213 R 3,518
731.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.7K $23.7K
$5,248 R 86.5K
351.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$47.60 $47.60
$54.6 R 900
-12.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$44.27 $44.27
$33.30 R 549
32.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 $96.0
$111 R 1,834
-13.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 $119
$83.4 R 1,374
42.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,245 $1,245
$749 R 12.3K
66.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,360 $1,360
$517 R 8,514
163.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,009 $2,009
$1,460 R 24.1K
37.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,234 $2,234
$1,008 R 16.6K
121.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,258 $3,258
$2,156 R 35.5K
51.09%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,390 $2,390
$1,484 R 24.5K
61.03%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,688 $3,688
$1,625 R 26.8K
127.01%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.57
11.77
-44.18%

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

Last update for Sterling: March 2, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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