Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yens and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $3,568 in Yens, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,568

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,568 per month in Yens vs $1,527 in Cape Town, rent included.

Yens $3,568
Cape Town $1,527

A couple spends around $5,328 per month in Yens vs $2,417 in Cape Town, rent included.

Yens $5,328
Cape Town $2,417

A family of three spends $7,088 per month in Yens vs $3,306 in Cape Town, rent included.

Yens $7,088
Cape Town $3,306

Yens costs about 134% more than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Yens and Cape Town sit above the global median – Yens by 164%, Cape Town by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.48 CHF 24.04

$12.01 R 198

145.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$116 CHF 94.3

$42.92 R 707

169.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.12 CHF 13.15

$6.15 R 101

162.11%

Cappuccino

$6.35 CHF 5.18

$2.37 R 39.04

167.93%

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

$5.07 CHF 4.14

$1.27 R 20.96

299.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 CHF 3.29

$0.94 R 15.46

329.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.34 CHF 7.62

$2.96 R 48.77

215.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.91 CHF 6.45

$3.69 R 60.8

114.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.85

$1.32 R 21.73

71.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.06 CHF 2.50

$1.21 R 19.87

152.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 CHF 2.71

$2.20 R 36.26

50.91%

Eggs

$7.55 CHF 6.16

$3.10 R 51.1

143.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.49 CHF 19.97

$8.73 R 144

180.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.77 CHF 22.65

$6.89 R 114

303.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.09 CHF 32.70

$9.26 R 153

332.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 CHF 2.96

$1.83 R 30.08

98.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.63

$1.95 R 32.12

2.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 CHF 2.06

$1.66 R 27.32

51.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.74 CHF 3.86

$2.14 R 35.19

121.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 CHF 1.35

$1.58 R 26.01

5.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 CHF 1.61

$1.47 R 24.29

34.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 CHF 1.70

$1.35 R 22.18

54.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 CHF 1.12

$1.14 R 18.85

20.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 CHF 9.00

$3.58 R 59.0

208.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.38 CHF 10.09

$6.05 R 99.7

104.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 CHF 1.82

$1.39 R 22.95

60.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 CHF 2.49

$2.18 R 35.90

39.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.99 CHF 3.25

$1.40 R 23.02

185.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 CHF 87.6

$60.8 R 1,001

76.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.99 CHF 6.52

$0.93 R 15.26

759.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.69 CHF 3.82

$0.90 R 14.83

421.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$85.7 CHF 69.9

$4.96 R 81.7

1628.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 CHF 1.91

$1.54 R 25.37

51.95%

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

$39.0K CHF 31.8K

$35.4K R 582.8K

10.41%

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

$39.9K CHF 32.6K

$33.4K R 549.9K

19.68%

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

$280 CHF 228

$117 R 1,929

139.26%

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

$28.64 CHF 23.35

$25.71 R 424

11.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 CHF 43.56

$39.41 R 649

35.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.2 CHF 62.1

$51.6 R 850

47.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$47.19 CHF 38.48

$11.35 R 187

315.77%

Cinema Ticket

$24.30 CHF 19.81

$8.89 R 146

173.34%

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

$2,957 CHF 2,411

$308 R 5,069

861.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.6K CHF 29.0K

$8,141 R 134.2K

337.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 116

$57.4 R 946

148.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 CHF 50.1

$31.75 R 523

93.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 CHF 115

$116 R 1,911

21.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$195 CHF 159

$101 R 1,660

93.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,735 CHF 1,415

$1,047 R 17.2K

65.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,655 CHF 1,349

$669 R 11.0K

147.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,868 CHF 2,339

$1,861 R 30.7K

54.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,682 CHF 2,187

$1,407 R 23.2K

90.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.6K CHF 13.5K

$2,410 R 39.7K

589.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.5K CHF 9,357

$1,570 R 25.9K

631.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,630 R 26.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

10.89

-82.09%

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

Last update for Yens: 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

Yens

$1.7K 46.4%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 59.6% $986

Groceries & Markets

Yens

$569 16%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 60.8% $346

Eating Out

Yens

$459 12.9%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 62.1% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yens

$362 10.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 49.7% $180

Clothing & Footwear

Yens

$243 6.8%

Cape Town

$138 9% 43.4% $106

Getting Around

Yens

$155 4.3%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 53.6% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Yens

$125 3.5%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 44.4% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,735 in Yens 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 $116 in Yens versus $43 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $569 vs $223 – making Cape Town the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Yens

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

1 h ahead of Yens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,200

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.23 USD

1 CHF = 1.09 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.815 CHF (1 CHF = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 0.915 CHF (1 CHF = 1.09 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Yens Cape Town 9,030 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Yens
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

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

Yens costs about 134% more than Cape Town, 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 $5,352 per month in Yens 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 Cape Town, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $1,047 there versus $1,735 in Yens.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,568 in Yens and $1,527 in Cape Town. That makes Cape Town about 57% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Cape Town. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,568 in Yens 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 Cape Town – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Cape Town is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 57% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.