San Francisco vs Cape Town Cost of Living
San Francisco (United States) · Overall index 95.1 — Cape Town (South Africa) · Overall index 33.8
Summary
- Overall, Cape Town is 64% cheaper than San Francisco.
- Rent in Cape Town is 81% cheaper than in San Francisco.
- Transport in Cape Town is 64% cheaper than in San Francisco.
| Item | San Francisco | Cape Town | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent | -81% | ||
| 1-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly) | $3,208 | $733 | -77% |
| 1-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly) | $2,609 | $426 | -84% |
| 3-bedroom apartment, city centre (monthly) | $7,487 | $1,308 | -83% |
| 3-bedroom apartment, outside centre (monthly) | $4,864 | $960 | -80% |
| Groceries | -56% | ||
| Milk (1L) | $1.31 | $0.61 | -53% |
| White bread (500g) | $4.2 | $1.81 | -57% |
| Rice (1kg) | $5.82 | $2.25 | -61% |
| Eggs (12) | $4.57 | $2.21 | -52% |
| Local cheese (1kg) | $16.3 | $6.98 | -57% |
| Chicken fillets (1kg) | $12.6 | $5.3 | -58% |
| Beef round (1kg) | $22.3 | $8.1 | -64% |
| Apples (1kg) | $5.88 | $2.39 | -59% |
| Bananas (1kg) | $2.46 | $1.01 | -59% |
| Oranges (1kg) | $4.54 | $2.3 | -49% |
| Tomatoes (1kg) | $5.5 | $2.52 | -54% |
| Potatoes (1kg) | $3.06 | $1.45 | -53% |
| Onions (1kg) | $2.72 | $1.42 | -48% |
| Lettuce (1 head) | $2.75 | $1.13 | -59% |
| Water (1.5L bottle) | $2.41 | $1.02 | -58% |
| Bottle of wine (mid-range) | $15.4 | $7.97 | -48% |
| Transport | -64% | ||
| Public transport, one-way ticket | $3.1 | $1.05 | -66% |
| Public transport, monthly pass | $139 | $47.5 | -66% |
| Taxi, base fare | $4.48 | $1.67 | -63% |
| Taxi, per km | $1.91 | $0.68 | -64% |
| Gasoline (1L) | $0.99 | $0.39 | -61% |
| New compact car (e.g., VW Golf) | $27,640 | $9,475 | -66% |
| Dining out | -62% | ||
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $21.5 | $8.33 | -61% |
| Meal for 2, mid-range restaurant (3 courses) | $115 | $51.4 | -55% |
| Fast food combo meal | $11.6 | $5.2 | -55% |
| Cappuccino | $5.52 | $1.99 | -64% |
| Coke/Pepsi (0.33L, restaurant) | $3.04 | $1.05 | -65% |
| Domestic beer (0.5L, restaurant) | $8.59 | $2.81 | -67% |
| Imported beer (0.33L, restaurant) | $8.71 | $3.03 | -65% |
| Water (0.33L, restaurant) | $2.32 | $0.88 | -62% |
| Telecom | -52% | ||
| Mobile plan, calls + 10GB+ data (monthly) | $68.5 | $31 | -55% |
| Broadband internet 60Mbps+ (monthly) | $71.8 | $35.7 | -50% |
| Prepaid mobile tariff (1 min) | $0.37 | $0.19 | -49% |
| Video streaming subscription (monthly) | $15.8 | $7.16 | -55% |
| Utilities & household | -57% | ||
| Basic utilities, 85m² apartment (monthly) | $176 | $88.4 | -50% |
| Electricity (1 kWh) | $0.23 | $0.11 | -52% |
| Tap water (1m³) | $5.1 | $2.03 | -60% |
| Natural gas (1m³) | $1.47 | $0.73 | -50% |
| Waste collection (monthly) | $25.8 | $10.4 | -60% |
| Fitness club (monthly) | $94.8 | $40.5 | -57% |
| Cinema ticket (1 seat) | $17.5 | $6.84 | -61% |
| Men's haircut | $33.2 | $14.9 | -55% |
| Domestic cleaning (1 hour) | $29.6 | $11.4 | -61% |
| Private kindergarten (monthly) | $2,199 | $932 | -58% |
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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