Cost of living comparison
United States is 2.5 times more expensive than Cape Town.
If you lived in United States instead of Cape Town, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
|
Cape Town
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.52
ZAR155.09
|
$18.59
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.11
ZAR93.05
|
$10.47
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.99
ZAR18.07
|
$2.50
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.78
ZAR14.21
|
$1.96
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for groceries
|
Cape Town
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.07
ZAR19.52
|
$3.49
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.13
ZAR75.21
|
$6.33
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
ZAR77.42
|
$3.91
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.53
ZAR46.11
|
$3.56
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.30
ZAR41.81
|
$5.16
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.73
ZAR13.31
|
$2.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
ZAR12.66
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.69
ZAR12.52
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
ZAR12.72
|
$2.16
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.55
ZAR10.00
|
$1.34
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.59
ZAR10.81
|
$1.38
|
|
pay 42.3% more for transportation
|
Cape Town
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.09
ZAR92.66
|
$3.61
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$42.60
ZAR775.45
|
$65.15
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,879.98
ZAR361,877.19
|
$31,583.67
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.54
ZAR173.70
|
$17.81
|
|
pay 2.1 times more for housing
|
Cape Town
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$43.29
ZAR787.97
|
$67.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$784.43
ZAR14,279.00
|
$1,655.99
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$505.72
ZAR9,205.71
|
$1,423.40
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$71.33
ZAR1,298.35
|
$148.34
|
|
pay 5.8 times more for childcare
|
Cape Town
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$207.06
ZAR3,769.16
|
$1,351.84
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,312.73
ZAR78,505.12
|
$22,265.44
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Cape Town
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.56
ZAR46.53
|
$5.78
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.12
ZAR38.68
|
$5.04
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.95
ZAR53.76
|
$9.68
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$39.65
ZAR721.84
|
$50.84
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.82
ZAR124.07
|
$13.30
|
|
pay 12.9% more for clothing
|
Cape Town
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.53
ZAR974.40
|
$50.38
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$30.86
ZAR561.70
|
$40.66
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$104.97
ZAR1,910.71
|
$85.52
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$77.06
ZAR1,402.80
|
$111.08
|
|
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