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Student eats · November 2026
Studying abroad in Cape Town
Every meal here costs R200 or less.
About $11 US. Typical prices, checked November 2, 2026.Cape Town is great value for students: curry and rotis in the city, Cape Malay food in the Bo-Kaap, fish and chips by the harbor and the Saturday market at the Old Biscuit Mill.
A day of eating for R370
- Breakfast, R90: Jason Bakery, a croissant or a bacon-and-egg croissant
- Lunch, R100: Eastern Food Bazaar, a curry with naan, or a biryani
- Dinner, R180: Biesmiellah, bobotie or a Cape Malay curry
Breakfast, lunch and dinner: R370, about $21.
Eat for R200 or less
1A photo like it
R90Breakfast
Jason Bakery
Get: A croissant or a bacon-and-egg croissant
Cape Town's favorite bakery, with a line on Saturday mornings.
2A photo like it
R100Lunch
Eastern Food Bazaar
Get: A curry with naan, or a biryani
A canteen food hall with Indian, Turkish and Chinese counters. Cheap, fast, central, and fully halal.
3A photo like it
R80Lunch
Mariam's Kitchen
Get: A chicken or mince roti
A tiny takeaway in the city center for Cape Malay rotis and samosas, beloved by office workers.
4A photo like it
R180Dinner
Biesmiellah
Get: Bobotie or a Cape Malay curry
A family-run Cape Malay restaurant in the colorful Bo-Kaap, run by the same family for decades.
5A photo like it
R130Dinner
Kalky's
Get: Fish and chips by the harbor
Fried fish straight off the boats, at long tables, with seals in the harbor.
The market
Saturday mornings
Neighbourgoods Market at the Old Biscuit Mill
Woodstock
Get: Food stalls, coffee and local produce
Bring cash and go before 10am. It gets busy fast.
The supermarket to find
Checkers, Pick n Pay and Woolworths Food
- Biltong, cheap and very South African
- Rooibos tea in boxes
- Pick n Pay's hot food counter for a cheap meal
Checkers and Pick n Pay are cheaper than Woolworths, which is the nicer, pricier one.
How students save in Cape Town
- University of Cape Town's campus has cheap food courts and cafés.
- Tip about 10 to 15% at sit-down places. Waiters depend on it.
- Ask locals about safety for walking at night, and use rideshare after dark.
More for Cape Town
Studying somewhere else?
Run a study-abroad program in Cape Town?
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Prices are typical, checked November 2, 2026, and move; places with branches all over (chains) are named so you can use any of them. "A photo like it" is the same kind of food, not from that place. Chef Amazing is not paid by any place on this page.
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