Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vacoas and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Vacoas: $744 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Vacoas
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Vacoas Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Vacoas

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$744

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $744 per month in Vacoas vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Vacoas $744
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,097 per month in Vacoas vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Vacoas $1,097
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $1,449 per month in Vacoas vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Vacoas $1,449
Cape Town $3,263

Vacoas is about 53% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Vacoas sits 45% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.89 MUR 277

$12.14 R 200

-51.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.22 MUR 1,470

$45.34 R 747

-31.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 MUR 292

$5.88 R 96.9

5.44%

Cappuccino

$2.61 MUR 123

$2.50 R 41.18

4.40%

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

$1.12 MUR 52.9

$1.27 R 20.94

-11.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 MUR 29.80

$0.98 R 16.14

-35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 MUR 121

$2.99 R 49.33

-14.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 MUR 175

$3.72 R 61.4

-0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MUR 68.5

$1.30 R 21.40

11.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.73 MUR 34.35

$1.25 R 20.68

-41.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 MUR 54.1

$2.23 R 36.76

-48.43%

Eggs

$2.28 MUR 107

$3.11 R 51.2

-26.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.70 MUR 127

$9.06 R 149

-70.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.55 MUR 120

$6.92 R 114

-63.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 MUR 525

$9.30 R 153

20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 MUR 120

$1.84 R 30.25

39.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 MUR 101

$1.96 R 32.29

9.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 MUR 67.9

$1.67 R 27.45

-13.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.03 MUR 143

$2.17 R 35.70

39.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 MUR 46.66

$1.57 R 25.81

-36.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 MUR 45.20

$1.48 R 24.45

-35.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 MUR 34.16

$1.30 R 21.41

-43.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 MUR 31.34

$1.13 R 18.60

-40.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.18 MUR 291

$3.60 R 59.3

71.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 MUR 292

$6.15 R 101

0.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 MUR 67.8

$1.38 R 22.66

4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 MUR 110

$2.14 R 35.20

8.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 MUR 62.2

$1.50 R 24.65

-12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 MUR 201

$0.59 R 9.71

623.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.18 MUR 150

$1.50 R 24.65

112.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 MUR 204

$5.11 R 84.2

-15.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 MUR 62.9

$1.55 R 25.50

-13.55%

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

$28.9K MUR 1.4M

$36.2K R 596.5K

-20.13%

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

$31.3K MUR 1.5M

$31.2K R 514.8K

0.12%

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

$44.98 MUR 2,117

$114 R 1,883

-60.65%

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

$10.35 MUR 487

$28.91 R 476

-64.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.84 MUR 1,169

$39.73 R 654

-37.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.74 MUR 1,212

$49.01 R 808

-47.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 MUR 241

$9.15 R 151

-44.04%

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

$125 MUR 5,897

$259 R 4,264

-51.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,480 MUR 352.1K

$6,794 R 111.9K

10.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.95 MUR 1,504

$56.2 R 926

-43.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.68 MUR 1,774

$32.41 R 534

16.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 MUR 2,976

$121 R 1,987

-47.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.93 MUR 2,257

$108 R 1,781

-55.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 MUR 12.5K

$1,021 R 16.8K

-74.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$220 MUR 10.4K

$717 R 11.8K

-69.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$471 MUR 22.2K

$1,824 R 30.1K

-74.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$236 MUR 11.1K

$1,327 R 21.9K

-82.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$690 MUR 32.5K

$1,639 R 27.0K

-57.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

10.97

-39.20%

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

Last update for Vacoas: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vacoas

$220 29.6%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 226% $497

Groceries & Markets

Vacoas

$177 23.7%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 27.4% $48

Eating Out

Vacoas

$124 16.7%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 41.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Vacoas

$81 10.9%

Cape Town

$143 9% 75.5% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vacoas

$80 10.8%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 128% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Vacoas

$36 4.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 87.1% $31

Getting Around

Vacoas

$25 * 3.4%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 194% $49

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $265 in Vacoas 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 138% higher in Cape Town, 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 $31.00 in Vacoas versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $225 – making Vacoas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Vacoas

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

18:16 6:16 PM

16:16 4:16 PM

2 h behind Vacoas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,289

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.89 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 47.08 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.93 MUR (100 MUR = 1.89 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Vacoas Cape Town 4,120 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Vacoas
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

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

Cape Town costs about 113% more than Vacoas, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,116 per month in Vacoas and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vacoas, 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 $744 in Vacoas and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 113%.

Kindergarten costs $125 per month in Vacoas and $259 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 Vacoas, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Vacoas 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. Vacoas costs $744 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Vacoas. 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.