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

😐 Solo nomad: Sterling is 61.8% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 111.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sterling is 69.9% more expensive than Cape Town without rent, and 90.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.02 $20.02
$11.06 R 180
81.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$84.0 $84.0
$45.39 R 740
85.06%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.37 $13.37
$5.09 R 82.9
162.67%
Cappuccino
$5.28 $5.28
$2.08 R 33.88
153.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.77 $2.77
$1.16 R 18.97
138.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.25 $2.25
$0.89 R 14.55
152.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.88 $5.88
$2.84 R 46.27
107.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.92 $7.92
$2.45 R 39.90
223.27%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 $0.92
$1.10 R 17.88
-16.36%
White Bread (500g)
$3.42 $3.42
$1.10 R 17.86
210.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.14 $2.14
$1.83 R 29.85
16.94%
Eggs
$5.01 $5.01
$2.50 R 40.77
100.40%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$19.35 $19.35
$8.65 R 141
123.70%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.86 $11.86
$5.06 R 82.5
134.39%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.50 $18.50
$7.58 R 124
144.06%
Apples (1kg)
$4.76 $4.76
$1.57 R 25.61
203.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.32 $1.32
$1.41 R 23.04
-6.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$7.22 $7.22
$1.50 R 24.51
381.33%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.63 $6.63
$1.53 R 24.94
333.33%
Potato (1kg)
$3.49 $3.49
$1.09 R 17.69
220.18%
Onion (1kg)
$2.77 $2.77
$1.18 R 19.27
134.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.27 $2.27
$1.06 R 17.27
114.15%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.50 $2.50
$0.99 R 16.09
152.53%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$9.18 $9.18
$3.11 R 50.6
195.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.17 $14.17
$6.36 R 104
122.80%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.78 $1.78
$1.37 R 22.31
29.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.04 $5.04
$1.75 R 28.60
188.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.97 $1.97
$0.92 R 14.94
114.13%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$48.28 R 787
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.46 $4.46
$1.38 R 22.45
223.19%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 $1.35
$0.93 R 15.16
45.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$28.65 $28.65
$4.37 R 71.2
555.61%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.86 $0.86
$1.20 R 19.56
-28.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.1K $26.1K
$21.6K R 351.9K
21.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.6K $24.6K
$24.0K R 391.3K
2.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$210 $210
$101 R 1,654
107.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$52.9 $52.9
$32.97 R 537
60.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$72.5 $72.5
$40.85 R 666
77.53%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.72 $28.72
$42.59 R 694
-32.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$7.89 R 129
-
Cinema Ticket
$15.22 $15.22
$6.62 R 108
129.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,772 $1,772
$213 R 3,469
732.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.8K $23.8K
$5,331 R 86.9K
347.39%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.27 $48.27
$54.6 R 890
-11.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.48 $45.48
$33.27 R 542
36.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$97.5 $97.5
$114 R 1,866
-14.88%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$118 $118
$84.0 R 1,369
40.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,256 $1,256
$767 R 12.5K
63.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,372 $1,372
$525 R 8,551
161.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,014 $2,014
$1,440 R 23.5K
39.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,252 $2,252
$1,008 R 16.4K
123.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,254 $3,254
$2,240 R 36.5K
45.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,414 $2,414
$1,451 R 23.6K
66.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sterling
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,766 $3,766
$1,707 R 27.8K
120.67%
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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: April 14, 2026

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

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