Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uitenhage and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Uitenhage: $1,167 a month against $1,599 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Uitenhage
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Uitenhage Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Uitenhage

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,167

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,599

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,167 per month in Uitenhage vs $1,599 in Cape Town, rent included.

Uitenhage $1,167
Cape Town $1,599

A couple spends around $1,832 per month in Uitenhage vs $2,460 in Cape Town, rent included.

Uitenhage $1,832
Cape Town $2,460

A family of three spends $2,497 per month in Uitenhage vs $3,320 in Cape Town, rent included.

Uitenhage $2,497
Cape Town $3,320

Uitenhage is about 27% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Uitenhage sits 14% below the global median, while Cape Town is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.99 R 181

$12.07 R 199

-8.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.28 R 713

$46.65 R 769

-7.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$6.20 R 102

-5.16%

Cappuccino

$2.17 R 35.83

$2.50 R 41.13

-13.20%

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

$1.06 R 17.38

$1.35 R 22.28

-21.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R 12.00

$1.00 R 16.47

-27.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.68 R 44.15

$3.06 R 50.4

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 R 53.5

$3.67 R 60.5

-11.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 R 19.29

$1.30 R 21.45

-10.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 R 13.36

$1.27 R 20.89

-36.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.02

$2.17 R 35.68

-29.95%

Eggs

$2.84 R 46.76

$3.09 R 50.9

-8.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 R 147

$8.98 R 148

-0.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.35 R 88.2

$6.99 R 115

-23.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.73 R 144

$9.67 R 159

-9.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 R 36.29

$1.87 R 30.78

17.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.85

$1.93 R 31.72

-21.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.80

$1.77 R 29.13

-4.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.82 R 29.92

$2.18 R 35.86

-16.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.08

$1.52 R 25.07

16.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.94

$1.56 R 25.63

-7.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.50

$1.32 R 21.74

-1.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 R 16.84

$1.15 R 18.97

-11.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.12 R 51.4

$3.72 R 61.4

-16.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.68 R 60.6

$6.01 R 99.0

-38.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R 21.16

$1.34 R 22.13

-4.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 29.97

$2.13 R 35.11

-14.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.95

$1.55 R 25.53

-2.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.3 R 1,010

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 R 9.82

$0.60 R 9.85

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 R 8.41

$1.54 R 25.36

-66.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.68 R 143

$5.01 R 82.5

73.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.50

$1.60 R 26.33

-6.88%

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

$35.6K R 587.1K

$35.4K R 583.4K

0.63%

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

$35.0K R 577.1K

$34.7K R 570.9K

1.08%

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

$125 R 2,066

$119 R 1,955

5.70%

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

$35.55 R 586

$29.42 R 485

20.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.37 R 747

$39.81 R 656

13.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.09 R 496

$50.8 R 836

-40.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 R 199

$10.93 R 180

10.25%

Cinema Ticket

$10.55 R 174

$8.99 R 148

17.35%

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

$179 R 2,955

$261 R 4,303

-31.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,248 R 102.9K

$6,966 R 114.8K

-10.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.6 R 1,196

$56.1 R 925

29.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.39 R 632

$33.26 R 548

15.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 R 1,873

$121 R 1,999

-6.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 R 1,584

$108 R 1,779

-10.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 R 7,304

$1,028 R 16.9K

-56.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 R 6,606

$720 R 11.9K

-44.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$646 R 10.6K

$1,835 R 30.2K

-64.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$798 R 13.1K

$1,360 R 22.4K

-41.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$897 R 14.8K

$2,407 R 39.6K

-62.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$740 R 12.2K

$1,504 R 24.8K

-50.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,649 R 27.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

10.97

8.84%

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

Last update for Uitenhage: October 20, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Uitenhage

$401 34.4%

Cape Town

$720 45% 79.5% $319

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uitenhage

$206 17.7%

Cape Town

$188 11.8% 8.9% $18

Groceries & Markets

Uitenhage

$196 16.8%

Cape Town

$226 14.2% 15.5% $30

Eating Out

Uitenhage

$159 13.6%

Cape Town

$177 11.1% 11.7% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Uitenhage

$144 12.4%

Cape Town

$143 9% 0.7% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Uitenhage

$51 4.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.3% 34.3% $18

Getting Around

Uitenhage

$9.2 * 0.8%

Cape Town

$76 4.7% 723% $67

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $443 in Uitenhage versus $1,028 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 $43.00 in Uitenhage versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $226 – making Uitenhage the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Uitenhage

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

15:16 3:16 PM

Same time as Uitenhage

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

103,639

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Uitenhage Cape Town 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Uitenhage
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

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

Cape Town costs about 37% more than Uitenhage, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,750 per month in Uitenhage and $2,398 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Uitenhage, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,167 in Uitenhage and $1,599 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 37%.

Kindergarten costs $179 per month in Uitenhage and $261 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Uitenhage, where all-in costs run around $1,167, than in Cape Town at $1,599. In Uitenhage it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Uitenhage costs $1,167 versus $1,599 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Uitenhage. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.