Cape Town at a glance
- Cape Town is the most expensive of South Africa's 7 priced cities: $1,265 a month in essentials, 66% above East London at $762.
- The average net salary of $1,591 covers that 1.3×.
- 99 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at local municipality level.
- PM2.5 averages 16.7 µg/m³ a year, 3× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 7 South Africa cities we track, so every row says whether Cape Town is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $1,265 | $893 | 1.42× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $674 | $368 | 1.83× as much |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $992 | $451 | 2.20× as much |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $126 | $113 | $13 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $250 | $225 | $25 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $155 | $167 | $12 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $60 | $60 | same |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $1,591 | $1,451 | $140 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $1,276 | $768 | 1.66× as much |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $1,820 | $850 | 2.14× as much |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Cape Town, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $12.00 | $10.80 | $1.20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $46.79 | $40.79 | $6.00 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $6.00 | $5.70 | $0.30 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.43 | $2.25 | $0.18 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $3.00 | $2.55 | $0.45 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.60 | $3.15 | $0.45 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $1.32 | $1.11 | $0.21 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.95 | $0.85 | $0.10 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $1.34 | $1.26 | $0.08 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $1.22 | $1.03 | $0.19 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $2.16 | $1.72 | 1.26× as much |
| Eggs, 12 | $2.77 | $2.47 | $0.30 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $8.72 | $8.60 | $0.12 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $6.36 | $5.30 | $1.06 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.81 | $1.86 | $0.05 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.83 | $1.72 | $0.11 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $2.04 | $1.71 | $0.33 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.51 | $1.54 | $0.03 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.45 | $1.44 | $0.01 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $1.15 | $1.15 | same |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $1.38 | $1.65 | $0.27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $59.99 | $59.99 | same |
| Taxi start | $0.60 | $0.84 | 1.40× as much |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.47 | $0.75 | 1.96× as much |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.43 | $1.43 | same |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $115.92 | $122.16 | $6.24 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $39.55 | $39.55 | same |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $30.96 | $32.69 | $1.73 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $47.18 | $31.49 | 1.50× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $8.70 | $6.75 | 1.29× as much |
Dating-age sex ratio
Cape Town has 99 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (local municipality level). That is the 7th-highest of 10 South Africa cities we track. South Africa's national figure is 99.4 — about even.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Cape Town ranks against every city we track
Cape Town sits ahead of 59% of the 892 cities we track on women aged 20–39. On local salary it is ahead of 57% of 545. Its weakest measure is safety, ahead of only 3% of 562.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Cape Town sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: Der Berzerker from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0.
