Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stevenage and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,586 a month against $2,570 in Stevenage, rent and utilities included – about $11,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Stevenage
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,570
/mo nomad
Cape Town
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,586
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,570 per month in Stevenage vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Stevenage $2,570
  • Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $3,826 per month in Stevenage vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Stevenage $3,826
  • Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $5,081 per month in Stevenage vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

  • Stevenage $5,081
  • Cape Town $3,263

Stevenage costs about 62% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Stevenage and Cape Town sit above the global median – Stevenage by 90%, Cape Town by 17%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Stevenage
Cape Town
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.49 £19.88
$12.14 R 200
118.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$80.2 £60.2
$45.34 R 747
76.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.65 £7.99
$5.88 R 96.9
81.12%
Cappuccino
$5.06 £3.80
$2.50 R 41.18
102.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 £1.42
$1.27 R 20.94
48.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.63 £1.22
$0.98 R 16.14
66.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.77 £4.33
$2.99 R 49.33
92.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.33 £4.00
$3.72 R 61.4
43.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Stevenage
Cape Town
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.69 £1.27
$1.30 R 21.40
30.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.50 £1.12
$1.25 R 20.68
20.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.92 £1.44
$2.23 R 36.76
-13.90%
Eggs
$3.97 £2.98
$3.11 R 51.2
27.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.48 £6.36
$9.06 R 149
-6.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.10 £6.07
$6.92 R 114
17.05%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.84 £10.39
$9.30 R 153
48.82%
Apples (1kg)
$3.38 £2.54
$1.84 R 30.25
83.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.48 £1.11
$1.96 R 32.29
-24.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.13 £2.35
$1.67 R 27.45
87.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.77 £2.07
$2.17 R 35.70
27.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.16 £0.87
$1.57 R 25.81
-26.11%
Onion (1kg)
$1.73 £1.29
$1.48 R 24.45
16.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.25 £0.94
$1.30 R 21.41
-3.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 £0.71
$1.13 R 18.60
-16.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.82 £17.87
$3.60 R 59.3
561.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.81 £7.36
$6.15 R 101
59.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.81 £2.11
$1.38 R 22.66
103.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 £2.18
$2.14 R 35.20
35.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Stevenage
Cape Town
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.50 £2.62
$1.50 R 24.65
133.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$103 £77.5
$60.8 R 1,001
70.11%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.77 £2.83
$0.59 R 9.71
538.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.84 £1.38
$1.50 R 24.65
22.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$20.20 £15.15
$5.11 R 84.2
295.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.91 £1.43
$1.55 R 25.50
23.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.5K £28.2K
$36.2K R 596.5K
3.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.9K £30.0K
$31.2K R 514.8K
27.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stevenage
Cape Town
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$230 £173
$114 R 1,883
101.60%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.97 £16.48
$28.91 R 476
-24.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.62 £32.72
$39.73 R 654
9.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Stevenage
Cape Town
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.85 £35.90
$49.01 R 808
-2.37%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$10.99 R 181
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.34 £10.01
$9.15 R 151
45.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Stevenage
Cape Town
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,042 £782
$259 R 4,264
302.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$6,794 R 111.9K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Stevenage
Cape Town
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$78.0 £58.5
$56.2 R 926
38.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$37.94 £28.46
$32.41 R 534
17.06%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.9 £48.68
$121 R 1,987
-46.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.1 £65.4
$108 R 1,781
-19.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Stevenage
Cape Town
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,631 £1,224
$1,021 R 16.8K
59.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,313 £985
$717 R 11.8K
83.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$3,020 £2,266
$1,824 R 30.1K
65.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,294 £1,721
$1,327 R 21.9K
72.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,391 R 39.4K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,542 R 25.4K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Stevenage
Cape Town
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,291 £2,469
$1,639 R 27.0K
100.84%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.51
10.97
-49.77%

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

Last update for Stevenage: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Stevenage
$1.3K
Cape Town
$717 45.4% $596
Eating Out
Stevenage
$358
Cape Town
$176 50.8% $182
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Stevenage
$296
Cape Town
$183 38.2% $113
Groceries & Markets
Stevenage
$278
Cape Town
$225 19% $53
Getting Around
Stevenage
$130
Cape Town
$75 42.6% $56
Clothing & Footwear
Stevenage
$121
Cape Town
$143 18.4% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Stevenage
$75
Cape Town
$67 9.7% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,631 in Stevenage versus $1,021 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 101% higher in Stevenage, 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 $80.0 in Stevenage versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $278 vs $225 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Stevenage
🇿🇦 Cape Town
🕒 Local time
08:36 8:36 AM
09:36 9:36 AM
1 h ahead of Stevenage
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
89,663
3,740,026 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Stevenage Cape Town 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Stevenage
  • 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
Stevenage vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Stevenage or Cape Town?
Stevenage costs about 62% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Stevenage and in Cape Town?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,855 per month in Stevenage and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Stevenage or Cape Town?
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.
How much does it cost to live in Stevenage compared to Cape Town?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,570 in Stevenage and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 62%.
How expensive is transport in Stevenage compared to Cape Town?
Public transport costs about 70% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Stevenage or in Cape Town?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Cape Town, where all-in costs run around $1,586, than in Stevenage at $2,570. In Cape Town it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stevenage it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Stevenage or Cape Town?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Cape Town costs $1,586 versus $2,570 in Stevenage. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Should I move to Stevenage or to Cape Town?
If budget matters most, go with Cape Town. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stevenage makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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