Quality of life in Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa, differentiates itself with low living costs. This urban area is consistently ahead in housing.
Cape Town is one of the top ten city matches for 0.5% of Teleport users.
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Life quality score
City ranking
Housing
7
113/265Details
| Large apartment | $1200.00 |
|---|---|
| Medium apartment | $940.00 |
| Rent index [score] | 0.74 |
| Small apartment | $670.00 |
Cost of Living
8
56/250Details
| 5km taxi ride | $4.10 |
|---|---|
| A Cappuccino | $1.90 |
| A beer | $1.30 |
| A kilogram of Apples | $1.50 |
| Bread | $0.35 |
| Inflation [score] | 0.79 |
| Lunch | $8.20 |
| Monthly fitness club membership | $43.00 |
| Monthly public transport | $29.00 |
| Movie ticket | $5.70 |
| Price of a meal at a restaurant | $43.42 |
Startups
5
87/264Details
| Average monthly increase in number of startups | 6 |
|---|---|
| Average monthly increase in number of startups [score] | 0.40 |
| Coworking spaces [score] | 0.41 |
| Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co | 11 |
| Meetups [score] | 0.48 |
| Meetups groups | 135 |
| Meetups members | 41585 |
| Number of investors | 53 |
| Number of startup events in the last 12 months | 107 |
| Number of upcoming meetup events | 44 |
| Startup climate scene [score] | 0.52 |
| Startup events | 8 |
| Startup events [score] | 0.32 |
| Startups [score] | 0.69 |
| Total number of startups | 277 |
Venture Capital
4
88/221Details
| Funding accelerator names | 88mph - South Africa, Umbono |
|---|---|
| Number of funding accelerators | 2 |
| Venture capital [score] | 0.41 |
Travel Connectivity
2
168/265Details
| Airport hub | 22 |
|---|---|
| Airport hub [score] | 0.17 |
| Intercity train connectivity [score] | 0.25 |
Commute
4
204/252Details
| Human city page | http://cities.human.co/details/South_Africa/Cape_Town |
|---|---|
| Traffic handling [score] | 0.30 |
Business Freedom
5
225/263Details
| Business freedom | 69.70 |
|---|---|
| Business freedom [score] | 0.55 |
| Freedom from corruption | 44.00 |
| Freedom from corruption [score] | 0.36 |
| Lack of labor restrictions | 58.70 |
| Lack of labor restrictions [score] | 0.43 |
| Time to open a business | 43.00 |
| Time to open a business [score] | 0.50 |
Safety
6
214/265Details
| Crime rate [score] | 0.16 |
|---|---|
| Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year | 33 |
| Guns per 100 residents | 13 |
| Lack of gun related deaths [score] | 0.10 |
| Lack of guns [score] | 0.94 |
| Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score] | 0.52 |
Healthcare
4
246/264Details
| Healthcare expenditure [score] | 0.63 |
|---|---|
| Healthcare quality [score] | 0.56 |
| Life expectancy (years) | 62.86 |
| Life expectancy [score] | 0.10 |
Education
1
221/239Details
| Best university in ranking | University of Cape Town |
|---|---|
| Best university ranking | 148 |
| University quality [score] | 0.18 |
Environmental Quality
6
136/265Details
| Air quality [score] | 0.64 |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness [score] | 0.58 |
| Drinking water quality [score] | 0.71 |
| Urban greenery [score] | 0.66 |
Economy
3
244/262Details
| Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area | 13.03 |
|---|---|
| Currency for urban area | ZAR |
| GDP growth rate | 0.02 |
| GDP growth rate [score] | 0.33 |
| GDP per capita | $13046.07 |
| GDP per capita [score] | 0.22 |
Taxation
5
95/265Details
| Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score] | 0.82 |
|---|---|
| Income tax level [score] | 0.24 |
| Profit tax (% of profit) | 0.29 |
| Time overhead to file company taxes | 203 |
| VAT (Sales Tax) | 0.14 |
Internet Access
1
258/265Details
| Download speed (Mbps) | 6.39 |
|---|---|
| Internet access (download) [score] | 0.14 |
| Internet access (upload) [score] | 0.16 |
| Upload speed (Mbps) | 3.67 |
Leisure & Culture
5
183/264Details
| Art galleries | 107 |
|---|---|
| Art galleries [score] | 0.49 |
| Cinemas | 64 |
| Cinemas [score] | 0.42 |
| Comedy clubs | 25 |
| Comedy clubs [score] | 0.59 |
| Concert venues | 106 |
| Concerts [score] | 0.53 |
| Historical sites | 61 |
| Historical sites [score] | 0.51 |
| Museums | 76 |
| Museums [score] | 0.45 |
| Performing art venues | 104 |
| Performing arts [score] | 0.51 |
| Sport venues | 49 |
| Sports [score] | 0.52 |
| Zoos | 10 |
| Zoos [score] | 0.66 |
Tolerance
4
250/265Details
| Homosexuality acceptance (percent of the surveyed population in favor) | 0.32 |
|---|---|
| LGBT Equality Index | 62.91 |
| LGBT Equality Index [score] | 0.63 |
| LGBT adoption rights | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT age of consent | ✔ Equal |
| LGBT blood donation regulations | ✖ Banned (6-month deferral) |
| LGBT conversion therapy regulations | ✔ Banned |
| LGBT discrimination legality | ✔ Illegal |
| LGBT employment discrimination legality | ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity |
| LGBT gender changing rights | ✔ Legal, but requires surgery |
| LGBT homosexuality rights | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT housing discrimination legality | ✔ Sexual orientation and gender identity |
| LGBT marriage rights | ✔ Legal |
| Tolerance towards minorities [score] | 0.10 |
Outdoors
7
19/265Details
| Elevation (hills or mountains) [score] | 0.36 |
|---|---|
| Median peak in meters | 1003.05 |
| Presence of hills in city | 1.00 |
| Presence of mountains in city | 1.00 |
| Seaside access | 1.00 |
| Urban area elevation (meters) | 32.00 |
| Water access [score] | 0.96 |
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Costs of living
Costs of living in Cape Town are in the 56th place of all 250 Teleport cities. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.
Housing costs (USD)
$670
Median rent for
apartments in city center
apartments in city center
Daily living costs (USD)
 Monthly fitness club membership | $43 |
|---|---|
 Movie ticket | $6 |
 Broadband internet connection | $49 |
 Monthly public transport | $29 |
 Lunch | $8 |
-53%
compared to
San Francisco
San Francisco
Job salary calculator
Software Engineer salaries in Cape Town are below average. For this job type, Cape Town ranks 149th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Cape Town.
Estimated annual salary (in USD)
$37,488
Median salary
Locals review Cape Town
Do locals recommend living in Cape Town?
What could Cape Town do better?#improveCapeTown
How could Cape Town improve to make it a more liveable city? We will make sure that the local government will know about the suggestions that reach enough votes*.
*Suggestions will be delivered to: Mayor of Cape Town - Patricia de Lille
What makes Cape Town a special place?#praiseCapeTown
Is Cape Town a great place to live? What makes it special for you? What makes it liveable? What should others know about? Why should they move here? Why do you love it?
Taxation
Personal taxation
Effective income tax rate
28%
For annual salary of $40000
34%
For annual salary of $80000
Value added tax (VAT)
14%
Standard tax rate. Different rates might apply for certain product categories.
Compared to other cities
234/265
Corporate taxation
Compared to other cities
32/262
Local Currency
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Safety
Gun crimes & Ownership
12.70
Guns per 100 people
33
Gun deaths per 100k people / year
North America
Europe
Asia
South America
Africa
Oceania
Overall crime rate city ranking
The overall crime rate puts Cape Town in position 254 of 264 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.
Education
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Explore the streets of Cape Town
People in Cape Town
Friends living in Cape Town
Find on FacebookFind out which of your friends are living in Cape Town. Nothing is better than knowing a local 😉
Teleport Users X Cape Town
Teleport users who are Cape Town
Work in:
9.80%
8.33%
6.86%
4.41%
3.43%
2.94%
2.94%
61.27%
Come from:
LGBT rights in Cape Town
Homosexuality
Legal
Changing gender
Legal
But Requires Surgery
Discrimination
Illegal
Marriage
Legal
Adoption
Legal
Public opinion in South Africa
"Should Society Accept Homosexuality?" (32% Yes, 68% No)
32%
Climate
Average number of days per year without rain
254Climate type
Mediterranean
Average daily maximum temperature
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Startup scene
Number of startups
277
By stage
Total funding last 12 months
$105,408,309
Funding last 12 months
Impressions from Cape Town
6:23 What to Do in Cape Town, South Africa | 36 Hours Travel Videos | The New York Times
A video by The New York Times
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On living in Cape Town
Cape Town is the second largest city in South Africa and is the capital of the Western Cape Province, as well as being the legislative capital of South Africa (the Houses of Parliament are here). It is located in the south-west corner of the country near the Cape of Good Hope, and is the most southern city in Africa. It is a stone's throw from South Africa's world-famous Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek.
Cape Town is also known as the Mother City in South Africa. It is also one of the most iconic cities in the world.
The Cape Town metropolitan area covers a large area, from Durbanville and Somerset West in the east to Cape Point in the south and Atlantis in the north. The city centre is located in a relatively small area between Table Mountain and Table Bay.
Read moreGood Country Index
Every city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.
Overall ranking
52nd from a total of 163 countries
World Order
33rdRefugees hosted
Refugees generated
Charity giving
Birth rate
UN Treaties signed
International Peace & Security
1stDues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets
International violent conflict
Peacekeeping troops
Arms exports
Internet security (2014)
Planet & Climate
143rdEcological footprint
Reforestation since 1992
Hazardous pesticides exports
CO2 emissions
Ozone
Prosperity & Equality
160thDevelopment assistance
FDI outflows
Fairtrade market size
UN volunteers abroad
Open trading
Culture
79thFreedom of movement
Press freedom
Creative services exports
UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution
Creative goods exports
Science & Technology
26thNobel prizes
Patents
Journal exports
International publications
International Students
Health & Wellbeing
36thPharmaceutical exports
Voluntary excess donations to the WHO
Food aid
Humanitarian aid donations
International Health Regulations Compliance
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Further research
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