Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Welkom and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Welkom: $1,051 a month against $1,527 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Welkom
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Welkom Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Welkom

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,051

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,051 per month in Welkom vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Welkom $1,051
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $1,581 per month in Welkom vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Welkom $1,581
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $2,112 per month in Welkom vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Welkom $2,112
Cape Town $3,306

Welkom is about 31% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Welkom sits 22% below the global median, while Cape Town is 13% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.84 R 147

$12.01 R 199

-26.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.76 R 344

$42.92 R 712

-51.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.23 R 86.8

$6.15 R 102

-14.96%

Cappuccino

$2.29 R 38.01

$2.37 R 39.30

-3.38%

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

$0.50 R 8.30

$1.27 R 21.11

-60.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R 10.34

$0.94 R 15.56

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 R 20.22

$2.96 R 49.10

-58.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 R 24.24

$3.69 R 61.2

-60.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R 16.64

$1.32 R 21.88

-24.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.76

$1.21 R 20.00

-16.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 R 23.29

$2.20 R 36.50

-36.36%

Eggs

$1.79 R 29.63

$3.10 R 51.5

-42.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.48 R 107

$8.73 R 145

-25.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 R 73.6

$6.89 R 114

-35.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.68 R 77.7

$9.26 R 154

-49.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.60

$1.83 R 30.28

-15.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 R 26.44

$1.95 R 32.34

-18.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.44

$1.66 R 27.50

6.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 R 20.40

$2.14 R 35.43

-42.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.65

$1.58 R 26.19

-29.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.19

$1.47 R 24.46

-17.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 R 14.42

$1.35 R 22.33

-35.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.34

$1.14 R 18.98

13.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 R 39.26

$3.58 R 59.4

-33.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$2.46 R 40.88

$6.05 R 100

-59.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 R 25.47

$1.39 R 23.10

10.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 R 29.20

$2.18 R 36.15

-19.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.79 R 29.69

$1.40 R 23.17

27.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,008

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 R 5.23

$0.93 R 15.37

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R 13.55

$0.90 R 14.93

-8.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.74 R 244

$4.96 R 82.3

197.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 R 26.18

$1.54 R 25.55

2.60%

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

$35.3K R 586.1K

$35.4K R 586.7K

-0.11%

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

$34.0K R 564.4K

$33.4K R 553.7K

1.95%

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

$153 R 2,543

$117 R 1,942

30.94%

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

$36.34 R 603

$25.71 R 427

41.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.25 R 601

$39.41 R 654

-8.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.57 R 524

$51.6 R 856

-38.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.70 R 194

$11.35 R 188

3.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R 122

$8.89 R 147

-17.10%

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

$256 R 4,252

$308 R 5,104

-16.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,077 R 100.8K

$8,141 R 135.1K

-25.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.5 R 871

$57.4 R 952

-8.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.62 R 525

$31.75 R 527

-0.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 R 1,533

$116 R 1,924

-20.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.7 R 1,372

$101 R 1,671

-17.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 R 6,501

$1,047 R 17.4K

-62.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 R 6,032

$669 R 11.1K

-45.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$726 R 12.0K

$1,861 R 30.9K

-61.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$726 R 12.0K

$1,407 R 23.3K

-48.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$715 R 11.9K

$2,410 R 40.0K

-70.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$621 R 10.3K

$1,570 R 26.0K

-60.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 27.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.89

4.13%

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

Last update for Welkom: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Welkom

$364 34.6%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 84% $306

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Welkom

$226 21.5%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 19.3% $44

Groceries & Markets

Welkom

$160 15.2%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 39.6% $63

Eating Out

Welkom

$127 12.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 36.6% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Welkom

$117 11.1%

Cape Town

$138 9% 18% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Welkom

$46 4.4%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 49.8% $23

Getting Around

Welkom

$12 * 1.1%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 521% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Welkom versus $1,047 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 $21 in Welkom versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $160 vs $223 – making Welkom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Welkom

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

Same time as Welkom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,130

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Welkom Cape Town 1,030 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Welkom
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

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

Cape Town costs about 45% more than Welkom, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,577 per month in Welkom and $2,291 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Welkom, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $1,047 in Cape Town.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,051 in Welkom and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Welkom about 31% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $256 per month in Welkom and $308 in Cape Town. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,051 in Welkom and $1,527 in Cape Town. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Welkom – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.