Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Francisco vs. Cape Town Cost of Living Summary
San Francisco is 3.8 times more expensive than Cape Town.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.7 times more in San Francisco
- Groceries
- pay 3.0 times more in San Francisco
- Transportation
- pay 96.4% more in San Francisco
- Housing
- pay 3.1 times more in San Francisco
- Childcare
- pay 11.2 times more in San Francisco
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 3.0 times more in San Francisco
- Clothing
- pay 27.4% more in San Francisco
San Francisco vs. Cape Town Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Francisco instead of Cape Town, you would:
pay 2.7 times more for restaurants
Cape Town | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $11.47 ZAR194.88 | $30.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.16 ZAR87.70 | $14.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.20 ZAR20.43 | $3.30 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.92 ZAR15.59 | $2.59 | |
Cape Town vs. San Francisco - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.0 times more for groceries
Cape Town | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.14 ZAR19.28 | $5.06 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $4.37 ZAR74.21 | $11.69 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.50 ZAR76.37 | $5.85 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.49 ZAR42.34 | $6.26 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.43 ZAR41.33 | $6.63 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $0.78 ZAR13.32 | $3.22 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.76 ZAR12.88 | $1.31 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.74 ZAR12.59 | $2.37 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.78 ZAR13.24 | $3.23 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.60 ZAR10.12 | $1.67 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.62 ZAR10.54 | $1.81 | |
Cape Town vs. San Francisco - Cost of groceries
pay 96.4% more for transportation
Cape Town | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.73 ZAR80.41 | $4.89 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $28.68 ZAR487.20 | $90.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $21,796.50 ZAR370K | $36,753.89 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $10.15 ZAR172.47 | $20.31 | |
Cape Town vs. San Francisco - Cost of transportation
pay 3.1 times more for housing
Cape Town | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $42.97 ZAR730.04 | $68.78 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $838.02 ZAR14,236.08 | $3,446.66 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $559.94 ZAR9,512.06 | $2,736.00 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $91.96 ZAR1,562.12 | $179.63 | |
Cape Town vs. San Francisco - Cost of housing
pay 11.2 times more for childcare
Cape Town | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $228.00 ZAR3,873.27 | $3,236.11 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $5,090.62 ZAR86,478.48 | $42,000.00 | |
Cape Town vs. San Francisco - Cost of childcare
pay 3.0 times more for entertainment and sports
Cape Town | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.87 ZAR48.72 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.12 ZAR35.95 | $5.98 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $3.15 ZAR53.59 | $14.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $44.05 ZAR748.26 | $109.64 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $6.88 ZAR116.93 | $17.00 | |
Cape Town vs. San Francisco - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.4% more for clothing
Cape Town | San Francisco | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $55.23 ZAR938.21 | $70.00 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $33.91 ZAR576.03 | $48.82 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $117.06 ZAR1,988.67 | $102.00 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $88.13 ZAR1,497.21 | $133.67 | |
Cape Town vs. San Francisco - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
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