Last updated: 11.03.25

Curious about insights about living costs in Cape Town? Whether you’re planning a trip to this beautiful city, where the majestic mountains meet the ocean, or simply interested in a cost breakdown, you’re in the right place!
In this Cape Town travel blog post, I will give you a transparent look at our travel costs after spending 6 days in Cape Town, South Africa. From accommodation and transport to food and unforgettable experiences, I will share all the details of our travel expenses to help you plan your own Cape Town budget or simply satisfy your curiosity about Cape Town living costs.

We were lucky to celebrate a part of our honeymoon in Cape Town. It’s a popular and vibrant city surrounded by incredible landscapes. Now I’m excited to share our insights with you.

So grab a coffee or tea, get comfortable and enjoy the reading!

Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links – This means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase through them without any extra cost for you. Thank you for your support!

A Complete Breakdown Of Living Costs In Cape Town: Our Personal Travel Expenses

Visit Cape Town

Before diving into the details of the costs breakdown, I want to share why Cape Town deserves a spot on your travel bucket list.

Cape Town is a city of breathtaking nature and contrasts, where majestic mountains meet the ocean, creating stunning views in every direction. From the iconic Table Mountain to the scenic coastline stretching from the vibrant V&A Waterfront to the dramatic cliffs and historic Cape Point, nature lovers will find endless beauty to explore. You can also enjoy the sun and relax on one of the city’s beautiful white sandy beaches, like Clifton Beach and Camps Bay Beach (just keep in mind that the Atlantic Ocean here is refreshingly cold).
For fellow animal lovers, I highly recommend a visit to Boulders Beach, where you can observe the charming and adorable African Penguins. If you’re craving more wildlife encounters, an ocean safari offers the chance to observe playful seals and other fascinating marine creatures.

Beyond the amazing nature, Cape Town is rich in history, with landmarks like Robben Island, which is serving as a powerful reminder of South Africa’s past, including apartheid and Nelson Mandela’s legacy.

You can also find an incredible food scene, blending of local and international flavors, making the city a paradise for food lovers. Overall the city’s vibrant energy and cultural diversity, Cape Town welcomes people from all places.

That being said, safety is an important factor to consider. Before visiting, we read different warnings about crime, and I think it’s essential to be aware and take precautions. We personally didn’t experience any issues during our stay, but we made sure to be cautious – avoiding going out at night and staying mindful of our belongings.
We stayed in an apartment in the Sea Point area – a neighborhood known for its safety and lively atmosphere and it was a great base for us. I recommend researching safety before visiting and taking general precautions.

In short this all year round destination offers you a great mix of fascinating nature, a rich history, incredible wildlife and a tasty food scene. Which makes Cape Town an unforgettable destination that deserves a spot on your bucket list.

Breakdown of living costs in Cape Town

If you’re wondering: “Is Cape Town expensive to visit?” You’re not alone! To help answer this, I’m sharing a transparent breakdown of our own travel expenses during our 6 day stay in Cape Town at the end of January and the beginning of February 2025.

Our stay in Cape Town was part of our honeymoon, which began with an adventure packed itinerary in South Africa, combining safari with exploring Cape Town. We wrapped up our honeymoon at wonderful Mauritius, enjoying romantic and luxurious resorts (stay tuned for a cost breakdown of that part soon).

Below you will find a detailed breakdown of our Cape Town travel costs. It includes what we spent per person for 6 days in this South African city. Let us dive in!

Cost of accommodation in Cape Town

Accommodation price: $451 – $75 per day

This covers the rent of an apartment in Sea Point, a vibrant area close to the beach and plenty of dining and grocery options. We stayed at Casa On Quendon by Totalstay, a modern and functional apartment that served as our home base for the entire trip. It had everything we needed: A kitchen to prepare meals (especially breakfast and dinner), a washing machine to clean our dirty safari clothes and a cozy living room to relax in the evenings. All in all, it was the ideal space for us to relax and feel home. Additionally the building has a small rooftop pool, however we didn’t end up using it.

We had an amazing time in this comfortable and well located apartment. Thanks to this apartment, we had a great place to relax, cook our own meals and wash our clothes. If you’re looking for a nice place to stay in Cape Town, you can book your stay online here.

Cost of transportation in Cape Town

Transportation price: $34 – $6 per day

This covers all our transportation, where we only used Uber. Uber is a great and affordable way to get around in Cape Town. Here are some examples of Uber prices:

• From our accommodation in Sea Point to V&A Waterfront: $6
• From our accommodation in Sea Point to the airport: $16

This category is WITHOUT our international flight tickets to Cape Town from Johannesburg – For those we paid: $106 per person.

Cost of food in Cape Town

Food: $226 – $38 per day

This covers a mix of grocery shopping and dining out. We had a kitchen in our apartment and most days we made our own breakfast and dinner and while eating out for lunch. Cape Town has an incredible food scene with reasonable prices, in my opinion.

Example of prices for two people (including tips):

• Kanéla Café: Brunch in Sea Point: $26
• Mojo Market: Poke bowl: $10, souvlaki: $6 and beverages: $4
• Mariner’s Wharf Hout Bay Restaurant: Fish & chips and mussels at Hout Bay Beach: $30
• Sevruga Restaurant: Fresh fish and a steak at V&A Waterfront: $45
• Gelato Mania Sea Point: Two ice creams: $6

Cost of experiences in Cape Town

Experiences: $270 – $45 per day

This category includes all the fun and exciting experiences we enjoyed during our time in Cape Town! We booked a Robben Island tour, went on an ocean safari (where we saw plenty of playful seals and snorkeled – though not at the same time), took the Table Mountain cable car for breathtaking city views and spent a full day exploring iconic spots like Boulders Beach, Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve.
Tips for these activities are included in this category.

Activity prices for two people (without tips):

• Robben Island Tour: $66
• Ocean Safari: $274
• Table Mountain cable car: $47
• Boulders Beach, Cape Point, and Good Hope Nature Reserve tour: $140

We had some amazing adventures during our stay – many of them thanks to Viator. It’s my go to platform for booking fun activities worldwide. It offers a user friendly experience, making it easy to book while staying flexible. If you’re looking for exciting things to do in Cape Town, you can explore a variety of tours here.

Other costs in Cape Town

Other: $7 – $1 per day

This category includes the costs of eSIMs. Both of us bought an eSIM that covered our stay in South Africa. While this expense isn’t exclusive to Cape Town, it also includes the time spent on safari beforehand.

We almost always use an eSIM when we are traveling outside of Europe because it’s incredibly convenient. You don’t need to search for a physical shop to buy a local SIM card and at the same time you avoid the risk of losing your regular SIM card. We always use Airalo.

If you’re interested in buying an Airalo eSIM send me a message by mail or instagram and I will let you know if I have a discount code available at the moment.

Total costs in Cape Town

Total: $988 – $165 per day 

The total cost per person was $988 when traveling two people together.

Without a doubt, we had an amazing stay in Cape Town. However it wasn’t a budget friendly trip. Since it was our honeymoon, we chose to do more paid activities over a shorter stay than we normally would. Typically we take longer trips, spreading out our activities over more days and balancing them with free or low cost experiences like hikes and beach days. That said, every expense was worth it!
That being said, it’s absolutely possible to visit Cape Town on a smaller budget by making different choices in accommodations, dining and activities.

Now it’s your turn to plan your own Cape Town adventure. Whether you’re visiting for 1 week in Cape Town or longer, I hope this breakdown of trip costs to South Africa was helpful and gave you a clearer idea of what to expect when planning your Cape Town living expenses.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below or to contact me through my instagram account @dailytravelmoment or via mail.

If you’re planning to travel the world and are looking for other costs breakdowns, you may also like:

• Madeira travel costs
• Kyrgyzstan travel costs: Tracking expenses in Kyrgyzstan for 2 weeks
• Cost of living in Algarve Portugal as a digital nomad
• Iceland travel costs
• Tanzania travel costs
• Zanzibar travel costs
• Cost of living in Uzbekistan as a traveler
• Thailand travel costs
• Oman travel costs
• Malaysia travel costs
• New York travel costs
• How my rent is cheaper as a full time traveler