Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aalst and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Cape Town: $1,527 a month against $2,156 in Aalst, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
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Aalst Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,156

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,527

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aalst and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Aalst and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,156 in Aalst versus $1,527 in Cape Town.

Aalst $2,156
Cape Town $1,527

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,186 in Aalst versus $2,417 in Cape Town.

Aalst $3,186
Cape Town $2,417

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,217 in Aalst versus $3,306 in Cape Town.

Aalst $4,217
Cape Town $3,306

Living in Aalst is roughly 41% more expensive than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Aalst 59% above, Cape Town 13% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.80 €21.19

$12.01 R 198

98.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.7 €85.2

$42.92 R 707

122.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.56 €12.07

$6.15 R 101

120.49%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.78

$2.37 R 39.04

78.90%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.10

$1.27 R 20.96

174.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.82

$0.94 R 15.46

236.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 €5.01

$2.96 R 48.77

90.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.47 €4.87

$3.69 R 60.8

48.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.32 R 21.73

3.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.47

$1.21 R 19.87

128.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.20 R 36.26

4.55%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.45

$3.10 R 51.1

25.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.58 €14.76

$8.73 R 144

89.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.03 €10.71

$6.89 R 114

74.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.18 €19.75

$9.26 R 153

139.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.83 R 30.08

62.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.95 R 32.12

25.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.66 R 27.32

61.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 €2.95

$2.14 R 35.19

54.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.58 R 26.01

53.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.47 R 24.29

27.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.35 R 22.18

15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 €0.99

$1.14 R 18.85

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.87 €11.46

$3.58 R 59.0

259.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 €7.79

$6.05 R 99.7

44.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.39 R 22.95

35.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.18 R 35.90

-6.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.02 €2.69

$1.40 R 23.02

115.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.0 €48.93

$60.8 R 1,001

-9.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 €2.61

$0.93 R 15.26

215.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.90 R 14.83

161.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.31 €35.89

$4.96 R 81.7

712.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.54 R 25.37

33.12%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.6K €31.7K

$35.4K R 582.8K

0.60%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$36.0K €32.0K

$33.4K R 549.9K

7.78%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$211 €188

$117 R 1,929

80.11%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.20 €18.88

$25.71 R 424

-17.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.2 €46.47

$39.41 R 649

32.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.57 €32.56

$51.6 R 850

-29.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.51 €17.37

$11.35 R 187

71.89%

Cinema Ticket

$15.62 €13.91

$8.89 R 146

75.70%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,627 €1,449

$308 R 5,069

428.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.7K €29.1K

$8,141 R 134.2K

301.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 €99.6

$57.4 R 946

94.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.49 €41.40

$31.75 R 523

46.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.8

$116 R 1,911

-10.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$168 €150

$101 R 1,660

67.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$928 €826

$1,047 R 17.2K

-11.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$819 €730

$669 R 11.0K

22.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,393 €1,241

$1,861 R 30.7K

-25.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 €998

$1,407 R 23.2K

-20.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,210 €3,749

$2,410 R 39.7K

74.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,927 €2,607

$1,570 R 25.9K

86.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,785 €2,480

$1,630 R 26.9K

70.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

10.89

-67.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Aalst: October 31, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Aalst

$819 38%

Cape Town

$669 43.8% 18.3% $150

Groceries & Markets

Aalst

$361 16.8%

Cape Town

$223 14.6% 38.2% $138

Eating Out

Aalst

$348 16.1%

Cape Town

$174 11.4% 49.9% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aalst

$284 13.2%

Cape Town

$182 11.9% 35.9% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Aalst

$194 9%

Cape Town

$138 9% 29% $56

Getting Around

Aalst

$82 3.8%

Cape Town

$72 4.7% 12.2% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Aalst

$68 3.2%

Cape Town

$69 4.5% 2.3% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $928 in Aalst and $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aalst pays 71% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $96 in Aalst vs $43 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $361 vs $223 per month, with Cape Town cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Aalst

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:06 4:06 AM

05:06 5:06 AM

1 h ahead of Aalst

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,271

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aalst Cape Town 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Aalst
Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Aalst vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,156 in Aalst and $1,527 in Cape Town, so Cape Town is about 29% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Aalst, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $928 in Aalst versus $1,047 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Cape Town – a meal for two runs $43 versus $96 in Aalst. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,156 per month in Aalst versus $1,527 in Cape Town – Cape Town is about 29% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Cape Town is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Cape Town wins on affordability, Aalst on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.