Cost of Living in Cape Town

Where it costs more (and less)

Each neighbourhood is shaded by its estimated total monthly cost for the selected household. Click a neighbourhood to see what makes up the cost.

About the rent figure: Median monthly ASKING rent for a 1-bedroom flat (2-bedroom for the family profile) in each neighbourhood - for the whole home, NOT per person. Each neighbourhood links to its own listings; sample size (n = number of listings) varies, shown in the table. Source: Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents) (2026-02).

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Monthly city-wide costs

These apply roughly anywhere in the city. Rent is what varies by neighbourhood.

Full breakdown by neighbourhood

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How we calculate this

Estimates only. City-wide baseline costs are typical figures with sources and dates below; actual costs vary by household, property, usage, and supplier. Rent is live per-neighbourhood data with its own sample size and date. Not financial advice.

• Electricity: 2026/27 tariffs (effective 1 July 2026). Lifeline tariff (energy ~R2.61/kWh incl VAT, no fixed charge; qualifying low-value prepaid properties) ~ R1,040. Home User tariff (Block 1 ~R3.38/kWh incl VAT + ~R391/mo fixed service & wires charge, up ~39%) ~ R1,740. Range spans both; amount sits below the midpoint to reflect typical lower-consumption households. City of Cape Town 2026/27 electricity tariffs (2026-07) · valid until 2027-06-30.
• Water & sanitation: Assumes ~8-10 kL/month on a standard domestic connection. 2026/27 tariffs (effective 1 July 2026) rose ~4.5%. After a Western Cape High Court ruling set aside the 2025/26 charges from 30 June 2026, fixed water & sanitation charges are once again based on water-meter size (not property value), and the separate city-wide cleaning charge is abolished and folded into property rates. Still usage- and meter-dependent - treat as indicative. City of Cape Town 2026/27 Water & Sanitation tariffs (2026-07) · valid until 2027-06-30.
• Groceries (per adult): Derived: the PMBEJD May 2026 Cape Town household basket is R5,222.75 for a ~4-person low-income household (a whole-household, staples-only figure). Per-adult is reasoned down from that and cross-checked against single-person cost-of-living aggregators (R3,000-5,000); it is an estimate, not a measured single-adult basket. PMBEJD May 2026 Household Affordability Index (Cape Town basket) (2026-05).
• Private medical aid (per adult): KeyCare Plus is income-rated: R1,961 (income <=R10,250/mo), R2,695 (R10,251-16,600), R3,980 (R16,601+). Main member and adult dependant cost the same; child dependant is R713/R760/R1,064 by band. Mid band used. Family multiplier (x2.56) = 2 adults + 2 children at the mid band (2,695+2,695+760+760 = R6,910). Discovery Health 2026 contribution table (KeyCare Plus) (2026) · valid until 2026-12-31.
• Home internet (uncapped fibre): Afrihost Pure Fibre from R399/mo; 30-50 Mbps Vumatel/Openserve bundles ~R425-549. Midpoint ~R550. Assumes fibre coverage at the address. Afrihost fibre pricing (2026) · valid until 2026-12-31.
• Transport: 95 unleaded coastal = R25.23/litre (effective 1 July 2026, down R1.96 as international prices fell despite the fuel levy being restored in full); a small car at ~7 L/100 km over 1,000 km ~ 70 L ~ R1,770/mo. Fuel only - excludes insurance, maintenance, finance, parking. Public transport (MyCiTi) is cheaper (~R1,200/mo) but covers limited corridors; minibus taxis are cheaper still. Fuels Industry Association of SA / DMRE official fuel price (2026-07) · valid until 2026-08-05.
• School fees (per child): School costs are bimodal, so no single midpoint is honest. Quintile 1-3 public schools are no-fee (R0); ordinary fee-paying public schools ~ R10,000-30,000/yr (~R800-2,500/mo); elite public (e.g. SACS ~R72,000/yr); mid-tier private ~R90,000-172,000/yr (~R7,500-14,300/mo). Default uses a typical fee-paying public school; excludes registration/levies/uniforms. Named Cape Town schools (SACS, Reddam, Parklands) via 2026 fee guides (2026).
• Security / armed response: Residential armed response typically R400-1,000/mo (avg ~R700). Excludes alarm equipment/installation (often financed separately). Quote-driven; security firms rarely publish flat rates. ProCompare SA armed-response pricing guide (2026).
• Household contents insurance: ~R150-400/mo for ~R300k of insured contents (not buildings). Varies widely by suburb risk rating, contents value, security and excess; high-risk suburbs push to the top of the range. Insurers quote individually - no single published premium exists. SA contents-insurance cost guide (cross-ref OUTsurance / King Price / Santam) (2026).
• Rent: Median monthly ASKING rent for a 1-bedroom flat (2-bedroom for the family profile) in each neighbourhood - for the whole home, NOT per person. Each neighbourhood links to its own listings; sample size (n = number of listings) varies, shown in the table. Property24, Private Property, PayProp, Africanvestor, Seeff & Lightstone (median asking rents) (2026-02).
• Income: Median (the typical household), not mean - the mean (R387,881/yr income) is inflated by high earners. Census 2022 household-income data was withdrawn by Stats SA; IES is the current authority. Statistics South Africa, Income & Expenditure Survey 2022/23.

Data last updated 2026-07-05.