Cape Town vs San Francisco Cost of Living
Cape Town (South Africa) · Overall index 33.8 — San Francisco (United States) · Overall index 95.1
Summary
- Overall, San Francisco is 181% more expensive than Cape Town.
- Rent in San Francisco is 430% more expensive than in Cape Town.
- Transport in San Francisco is 179% more expensive than in Cape Town.
| Item | Cape Town | San Francisco | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | +430% | ||
| 1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly) | $733 | $3,208 | +338% |
| 1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly) | $426 | $2,609 | +512% |
| 3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly) | $1,308 | $7,487 | +472% |
| 3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly) | $960 | $4,864 | +407% |
| Groceries | +126% | ||
| Milk (1L) | $0.61 | $1.31 | +115% |
| White bread (500g) | $1.81 | $4.2 | +132% |
| Rice (1kg) | $2.25 | $5.82 | +159% |
| Eggs (12) | $2.21 | $4.57 | +107% |
| Local cheese (1kg) | $6.98 | $16.3 | +134% |
| Chicken fillets (1kg) | $5.3 | $12.6 | +138% |
| Beef round (1kg) | $8.1 | $22.3 | +175% |
| Apples (1kg) | $2.39 | $5.88 | +146% |
| Bananas (1kg) | $1.01 | $2.46 | +144% |
| Oranges (1kg) | $2.3 | $4.54 | +97% |
| Tomatoes (1kg) | $2.52 | $5.5 | +118% |
| Potatoes (1kg) | $1.45 | $3.06 | +111% |
| Onions (1kg) | $1.42 | $2.72 | +92% |
| Lettuce (1 head) | $1.13 | $2.75 | +143% |
| Water (1.5L bottle) | $1.02 | $2.41 | +136% |
| Bottle of wine (mid-range) | $7.97 | $15.4 | +93% |
| Transport | +179% | ||
| Public transport, one-way ticket | $1.05 | $3.1 | +195% |
| Public transport, monthly pass | $47.5 | $139 | +193% |
| Taxi, base fare | $1.67 | $4.48 | +168% |
| Taxi, per km | $0.68 | $1.91 | +181% |
| Gasoline (1L) | $0.39 | $0.99 | +154% |
| New compact car (e.g., VW Golf) | $9,475 | $27,640 | +192% |
| Dining out | +165% | ||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $8.33 | $21.5 | +158% |
| Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses) | $51.4 | $115 | +124% |
| Fast food combo meal | $5.2 | $11.6 | +123% |
| Cappuccino | $1.99 | $5.52 | +177% |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant) | $1.05 | $3.04 | +190% |
| Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant) | $2.81 | $8.59 | +206% |
| Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant) | $3.03 | $8.71 | +187% |
| Water (0.33L, restaurant) | $0.88 | $2.32 | +164% |
| Telecom | +109% | ||
| Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly) | $31 | $68.5 | +121% |
| Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly) | $35.7 | $71.8 | +101% |
| Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min) | $0.19 | $0.37 | +95% |
| Video streaming subscription (monthly) | $7.16 | $15.8 | +121% |
| Utilities & household | +131% | ||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly) | $88.4 | $176 | +99% |
| Electricity (1 kWh) | $0.11 | $0.23 | +109% |
| Tap water (1m³) | $2.03 | $5.1 | +151% |
| Natural gas (1m³) | $0.73 | $1.47 | +101% |
| Waste collection (monthly) | $10.4 | $25.8 | +148% |
| Fitness club (monthly) | $40.5 | $94.8 | +134% |
| Cinema ticket (1 seat) | $6.84 | $17.5 | +156% |
| Men's haircut | $14.9 | $33.2 | +123% |
| Domestic cleaning (1 hour) | $11.4 | $29.6 | +160% |
| Private kindergarten (monthly) | $932 | $2,199 | +136% |
3,340 total data points · Price data as of 2026-07-01 · Exchange rates as of 2026-07-15
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Estimates for reference only — not official statistics.
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