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

😐 Solo nomad: Sterling is 48.1% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 111.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sterling is 68.5% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 88.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.2 $20.2
$11.02 R 196
83.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$85.9 $85.9
$44.54 R 792
92.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.33 $13.33
$4.96 R 88.2
168.75%
Cappuccino
$5.32 $5.32
$1.98 R 35.25
168.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.81 $2.81
$1.16 R 20.6
142.24%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.33 $2.33
$0.87 R 15.46
167.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.93 $5.93
$2.82 R 50.1
110.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.94 $7.94
$2.47 R 43.97
221.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.98 $0.98
$1.16 R 20.62
-15.52%
White Bread (500g)
$3.44 $3.44
$1.1 R 19.49
212.73%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.13 $2.13
$1.83 R 32.49
16.39%
Eggs
$4.94 $4.94
$2.39 R 42.45
106.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.1 $19.1
$8.28 R 147
130.68%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.15 $12.15
$5.22 R 92.8
132.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.33 $18.33
$7.46 R 133
145.71%
Apples (1kg)
$4.8 $4.8
$1.55 R 27.64
209.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.33 $1.33
$1.41 R 25.08
-5.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$6.99 $6.99
$1.45 R 25.83
382.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.58 $6.58
$1.52 R 26.99
332.89%
Potato (1kg)
$3.45 $3.45
$1.08 R 19.21
219.44%
Onion (1kg)
$2.69 $2.69
$1.24 R 22.05
116.94%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.21 $2.21
$1.09 R 19.32
102.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.47 $2.47
$0.98 R 17.46
152.04%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$8.77 $8.77
$3.04 R 54
188.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.76 $13.76
$5.68 R 101
142.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 $1.68
$1.42 R 25.18
18.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.1 $5.1
$1.68 R 29.94
203.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.04 $2.04
$0.91 R 16.22
124.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$47.53 R 845
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.43 $4.43
$1.38 R 24.59
221.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.39 $1.39
$0.95 R 16.94
46.32%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.94 $28.94
$4.54 R 80.8
537.44%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.81 $0.81
$1.23 R 21.88
-34.15%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26K $26K
$21K R 373K
24.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K $24.6K
$24.5K R 434.9K
0.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$209 $209
$99.2 R 1,764
110.46%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.6 $52.6
$33.54 R 597
56.68%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$73.6 $73.6
$40.65 R 723
80.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.88 $28.88
$42.61 R 758
-32.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$8.17 R 145
-
Cinema Ticket
$14.73 $14.73
$6.85 R 122
115.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,721 $1,721
$209 R 3,720
722.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.8K $23.8K
$5,202 R 92.5K
357.51%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.23 $48.23
$55.1 R 980
-12.50%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.88 $45.88
$33.11 R 589
38.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.4 $97.4
$111 R 1,974
-12.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$119 $119
$85.5 R 1,520
39.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,287 $1,287
$766 R 13.6K
68.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,377 $1,377
$522 R 9,280
163.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,007 $2,007
$1,434 R 25.5K
39.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,249 $2,249
$1,029 R 18.3K
118.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,820 $2,820
$2,000 R 35.6K
40.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,428 $2,428
$1,318 R 23.4K
84.16%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,806 $3,806
$1,641 R 29.2K
131.94%
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: October 27, 2025

Last update for Cape Town: October 29, 2025

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