Cape Town Moving Services

Budget-friendly moving service. Trusted by thousands of South Africans. Door-to-Door delivery. Same Day service. Fixed Prices.

9.4 · 7,900 reviews

What are you moving?

• 

  — purchase pickup from junkmail.co.za
• 

  — purchase pickup from gumtree.co.za
• Item

  — furniture, electronic, antique, box etc.
  • — Furniture

    sofa, table, bed, bookcase, chest, drawer etc.
  • — Item

    packed item, electronic, bicycle, box etc.
• Move

  — home move, office move
  • — Home
  • — Office
  • — Storage
• Vehicle

  — car, motorcycle, RV, truck and other motor vehicles
  • — Car

    sedan, minivan, 4x4, pickup, sports car, coupe etc.
  • — Motorcycle

    chopper, superbike, moped, scooter etc.
  • — Other vehicle

    truck, bus, RV, tractor and other motor vehicles and etc.
• Boat

  — powerboat, sailboat, houseboat, jet ski, watercraft etc.
• Piano

  — grand piano, upright piano, digital piano etc.
• Animal

  — pet, livestock
  • — Pet

    cat, dog, bird, horse, etc
  • — Livestock

    sheep, cattle, deer. etc
• Junk

  — junk clearance, rubbish removal etc.
• Other

  — construction material etc.

Get Prices

Cape Town has a bouquet of attractions offered by no other South African city—or, indeed, by very few cities anywhere on earth. It has gobsmacking mountains and seascapes, a world-class restaurant scene, efficient public transport, a job-creating economy and dependable services. It even throws in a refreshing though somewhat manic breeze called the South-Easter.

That’s a bouquet that lots of people want to sniff, from South African migrants to tourists to long-stay visitors from around the world. Cape Town was voted the world’s second-best city to visit in a Time Out survey in 2024. However, because the local housing supply hasn’t kept pace with population and tourism growth, housing costs have risen in real terms for several years. A home in the Cape will almost certainly cost you more to buy or rent than its Joburg or Durban equivalent in size and quality.

But exactly how much more? And what about all the other expenses? Is the Cape’s reputation in South Africa for priciness sometimes more myth than math?

Read on for the facts in our comprehensive breakdown of the cost of living in Cape Town in 2025.

• The cost of housing in Cape Town
• The cost of utilities in Cape Town
• The cost of groceries in Cape Town
• The cost of restaurant meals in Cape Town
• The cost of public transport in Cape Town
• The cost of private car travel in Cape Town
• The cost of entertainment in Cape Town
• The cost of education in Cape Town
• The cost of medical care in Cape Town
• What people earn in Cape Town
• Making a wise move to Cape Town

What does housing cost in Cape Town?

If you're a new arrival in Cape Town from elsewhere in South Africa, you should expect to spend about 25% to 50% more on keeping a roof over your head, depending on the area, assuming you want the same amount of comfort and living space. In global terms, rents and home prices are not as wildly out of step with average incomes as they're in most cities.

Cape Town’s average home loan to income ratio in 2025 is a respectable 179th of 281 cities ranked by Numbeo.

To put this in perspective, a home loan in Cleveland, Ohio, is rated the most affordable, in 281st place, while a typical Buenos Aires mortgage tops the chart as the least affordable. That said, Johannesburg does much better on the same chart, ranking in 238th place, and Pretoria is even more reasonable in 264th place.

What do Cape Town properties cost to buy?

The average price for a property sold on Property24 in Cape Town in 2025 is slightly more than R2 million, while the average asking price is R2.5 million.

Interestingly, the average asking price for listings in Cape Town has been dropping steadily since 2019, when it was just above R3 million, while the average sale price has risen to R2 million from roughly R1.5 million in the same period. This suggests that sellers are becoming more realistic despite steady growth in property values.

According to Numbeo, the average property price in Cape Town’s average suburban property price—R23,025/m²—is more than twice that of Joburg’s—R11,977/m².

Below are the average apartment prices per m² in four Cape Town areas, estimated by AfricanInvestor:

How do Cape Town's property prices compare to the rest of the country?

The table below shows that the asking prices for Cape Town properties listed on Properstar are cheaper than in the upmarket seafront town of Umhlanga in KwaZulu-Natal. Cape Town, however, includes a much wider variety of property types and income groups.

Despite this variability, a square metre in the Cape Town sample is 31% pricier than a m² in Sandton—Joburg’s mostly upmarket business hub. And Cape Town’s square metres costs are roughly double those in the Johannesburg suburb of Edenvale or in East London.

Despite this property boom, there is still value to be found in the less fashionable suburbs of Cape Town—from the north coast and northern suburbs to the south peninsula. These areas might require more driving time, have more wind, and may not offer a classy deli around the corner. Some southern suburbs are pricier due to good local schools with admissions policies favouring their catchment areas. Bear this in mind if schools are not a factor for you.

What does it cost to rent a home in Cape Town?

Average rent has risen by 68% in Cape Town since 2014, as against a national increase of 45%. That spike has partly been driven by high demand from new arrivals in the Cape, and partly due to a shortage of long-term rental stock as landlords have opted for potentially higher returns in the short-term rental and tourist markets.

According to Numbeo data, these are the average rents in Cape Town’s City Bowl and elsewhere:

Apartment rents in upmarket areas like the City Bowl and the leafier Southern Suburbs don’t quite reflect the citywide norm, especially when it comes to free-standing or semi-detached houses. In suburbs such as Milnerton, Table View, Observatory, Muizenburg, Bergvliet, Pinelands and Plumstead, 3-bedroom houses can be rented for between R15,000 and R20,000 per month.

But because demand is so strong and supply so tight, it can be hard to find your ideal and affordable rental house at the time you need it. If you’re planning a move to Cape Town, it’s worth starting your search early to scope out the market — and if you can afford to cover the extra month or two’s rent, it may even make sense to snap up a good lease well before occupation.

What do utilities cost in Cape Town?

The city’s municipal services may be reliable, but you can also rely on having to pay for them. Comparing overall utility costs in Cape Town and Joburg is tricky because water and electricity tariffs vary according to consumption brackets.

In general, water and refuse collection is cheaper in Cape Town, while electricity is more expensive. Cape Town’s average total utility bill is lower than Joburg’s for smaller homes with lower consumption. Home internet costs are very similar, but mobile phone rates are significantly more expensive in Joburg.

What do groceries cost in Cape Town?

Supermarket food costs in Cape Town vary widely between retail chains, and according to how much variety and quality you want. Fresh produce tends to be cheaper in Cape Town than upcountry because more farms produce it nearby. Red meat tends to be cheaper in inland cities, for the same reason. Fresh seafood is obviously more affordable and available in Cape Town.

Stats SA reports that in November 2025, a basic monthly food basket that feeds a family of four in Cape Town cost R5,245, compared with R5,555 in Joburg and R5,360 in Durban. When incomes are factored in, this compares favourably with most major cities around the world.

That said, food inflation has been brisk in recent years, especially for imported products like coffee and chocolate. If you like to eat a delicious and balanced diet, expect to pay considerably more for your food in Cape Town—it’s quite easy to go past R15,000 a month for a family of four.

What do restaurant meals cost in Cape Town?

Prices at Cape Town’s average inexpensive and mid-range restaurants are cheaper on average than in Joburg, according to Numbeo data.

That sounds pretty competitive, but Cape Town’s best restaurants are more than competitive—they’re truly excellent. Some of those will set you back R1,000 or more per diner. But if you keep your ear to the ground, you’ll find other gourmet places that charge considerably less, offering superb value compared with equivalent restaurants in London, Sydney or Paris. This is one of the reasons Cape Town attracts so many visitors from abroad.

Tipping between 10% and 20% is expected—waiters depend on your tips, as their hourly wages are very modest.

How much does public transport cost in Cape Town?

The City Bowl aside, the city is not compact, so you will struggle to get around on foot or even on a bicycle—it’s also far from flat. But you don’t necessarily need a car. Here are some reliable transport options you can try.

• The MyCity bus service is very efficient and affordable, at R20 for a one-way trip and R850 for a monthly pass. The MyCity network covers the City Bowl and links it to the northern areas and the southern Cape Flats townships.
• If you’re in the southern peninsula, the passenger train line from Cape Town to Simon's Town is improving its service after years of decline, with new trains in service. And it’s very cheap at between R7.50 and R10 per single ticket.
• For evening travel or destinations not covered by buses or trains, Uber rates are low by international standards, at R10 per off-peak kilometre. So it’s very possible for a busy person to get around town at a cost of less than R2000 a month.

What does private car travel cost in Cape Town?

The cost of petrol

Petrol prices vary often, but like all coastal cities in South Africa, fuel is slightly cheaper in Cape Town than in inland cities—and modestly priced at $1.18 a litre (or R22.82) by international standards in April 2025. This ranks Cape Town’s petrol price at 181 out of 347 cities ranked by Numbeo. Hong Kong is the steepest at $3.13, while Alexandria in Egypt is the cheapest at $0.28.

The cost of buying a car

The average price of an affordable car in South Africa is fairly low due to local production of some models and relatively gentle taxes. A Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6L 97kW Comfort will set you back $21,780 (R422,972)—ranking South Africa’s price at position 100 of 126 countries ranked.

What does entertainment cost in Cape Town?

The best daytime entertainments in Cape Town are free or very cheap. You can climb a mountain, go to one of Cape Town's many beaches, or take a stroll through the city. Here's what you can expect to pay for gym, shows, movies and more:

• Gym memberships cost an average of R692 per month.
• Tickets for shows at the big theatres will set you back between R160 and R500.
• Local live music shows offer great value, particularly the city’s excellent jazz scene, with ticket prices ranging from R150 upwards, depending on the fame of the act.
• Movie tickets typically cost R120.
• Wine tastings can vary between R30 for the quaffable plonk and R300 for the good stuff.

What does education cost in Cape Town?

The city boasts top-quality education, with a wide range of excellent public and private schools, and three major universities to choose from. The University of Cape Town is consistently ranked the best university in Africa, and the 171st best in the world in the QS rankings.

School fees at the best public schools in Cape Town are very affordable, at up to R4000 per month. Their quality of education is excellent. However, it can be hard to get your child admitted to them if you don’t live in the school’s catchment area.

Private schools range from affordable religious and alternative schools, with fees as low as R5,000 per month, to elite single-sex institutions modelled on traditional British private schools, which charge up to R30,000 per month.

Universities typically charge double their usual fees to foreign students who are not from Southern Africa, but even so, they can still offer excellent value by international standards.

The table below compares education fees in Cape Town to those in the UK to give a sense of the relative affordability.

What does medical care cost in Cape Town?

The cost of a GP visit or consultation

Visiting a private GP in Cape Town will typically cost between R500 and R850 per consultation. You will have no trouble getting an appointment, and the quality of care will typically be excellent. Visits to private clinics will cost a similar amount for basic consultations, though seeing a specialist will cost up to R2,000.

Private health care and medical aid costs

Because the public hospitals are often under strain, with their quality of care uneven, it is advisable to take out a private health insurance (or medical aid) policy. This will ensure access to private hospitals in an emergency, along with reducing the costs of any kind of specialist consultation.

Medical aid policies vary widely in cover and cost, but they range between R1400 per month per beneficiary for a basic hospital plan, to R10 000 per month or more for comprehensive cover for people with pre-existing conditions.

The kicker—what do people earn in Cape Town?

The average monthly after-tax salary in Cape Town for 2025 is R26,844 per month, but that varies very widely by job type. It’s a slightly higher average income than Johannesburg’s average of R24,171.

The Cape’s thriving local economy and higher property costs have recently seen it overtake South Africa’s economic capital, which has traditionally been the more lucrative place to work.

That salary premium, along with cheaper Cape utilities and affordable public transport, offsets the massive difference in housing costs somewhat. But it doesn’t even come close to cancelling it out.

So there’s no debate. Living in Cape Town is more expensive. There's also no debating about the exceptional value, by global standards, that the Cape still offers for its beauty, space and lifestyle.

Moving to Cape Town? Make a wise move …

If you’re Cape Town-bound, it’s advisable to start saving before you get there—by moving your household with Wise Move. The innovative moving platform connects you with the country’s most affordable and dependable movers, feeding you exceptional quotes for loads of every kind.

Cape Town Moving Services

Budget-friendly moving service. Trusted by thousands of South Africans. Door-to-Door delivery. Same Day service. Fixed Prices.

9.4 · 7,900 reviews

What are you moving?

• 

  — purchase pickup from junkmail.co.za
• 

  — purchase pickup from gumtree.co.za
• Item

  — furniture, electronic, antique, box etc.
  • — Furniture

    sofa, table, bed, bookcase, chest, drawer etc.
  • — Item

    packed item, electronic, bicycle, box etc.
• Move

  — home move, office move
  • — Home
  • — Office
  • — Storage
• Vehicle

  — car, motorcycle, RV, truck and other motor vehicles
  • — Car

    sedan, minivan, 4x4, pickup, sports car, coupe etc.
  • — Motorcycle

    chopper, superbike, moped, scooter etc.
  • — Other vehicle

    truck, bus, RV, tractor and other motor vehicles and etc.
• Boat

  — powerboat, sailboat, houseboat, jet ski, watercraft etc.
• Piano

  — grand piano, upright piano, digital piano etc.
• Animal

  — pet, livestock
  • — Pet

    cat, dog, bird, horse, etc
  • — Livestock

    sheep, cattle, deer. etc
• Junk

  — junk clearance, rubbish removal etc.
• Other

  — construction material etc.

Get Prices