As the South African government (very slowly) puts the finishing touches (can they hurry up already?) to the proposed Digital Nomad Visa for South Africa, the good news is that Cape Town has been flagged as the most affordable city on the planet for expat travellers.
That’s according to a new study from expat tax services company Greenback. They trawled through data from Trading Economics and Expatistan to estimate the cost of living for expat travellers planning a longer stay in 43 major cities worldwide.
And, guess what? Cape Town came out tops!
Cape Town has always been good value for travellers, and it just keeps getting better. That’s thanks to a healthy exchange rate for those converting their dollars, pounds, or Euros into Rands.
Once Greenback crunched the numbers, they estimated that the average monthly cost of living in Cape Town is around $1447 (£1140) for an individual, and $2694 (£2123) for a family. Of course that all depends on how lavish your lifestyle is, and how many times a week you treat yourself to Peter Tempelhoff’s sushi at the Time Out Market Cape Town.
In second place was Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali, which will set an individual back around $1516 (£1995) for a month in this tropical paradise. However, for families, Bali narrowly beat out Cape Town, with a monthly cost of $2678 (£2110). How will you spend that extra $16 a month?
At the other end of the scale, the study also looked into the most expensive cities for expats. Here San Francisco, Singapore and London claimed the top spots, surprisingly ahead of Zurich and New York City. Oh well, cross those off your list for a longer stay!
On your way? Book a stay at the best affordable hotels in Cape Town.